One Moment With You
by SaiyanPrince541
Summary: A BULMA/VEGETA A/U FAN-FICTION. BULMA AND VEGETA REALIZE THEIR FEELINGS FOR ONE-ANOTHER. GOKU DISCOVERS THIS AND PROMISES TO KEEP IT A SECRET - THE TWO SAIYANS, ONCE BITTER ENEMIES, THEN RIVALS, SOON BECOME FRIENDS AND COMRADES. EMULATES MANY CONCEPTS FROM Rediscovering Honor AND Homeless Boy BY LPphreek. PLEASE REVIEW! (Cover image: "Taking Chances" by "Apple-Cake" on deviantart).
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The disheartened heiress

It had been nearly one year since the young purple-haired boy from the future had warned the Z-fighters about the upcoming threat of the androids.

Goku, Gohan and Piccolo continued their intense training and sparring sessions near Mount Paozu, while Tien and Chiaotzu were spending their days away in the mountains in the northern hemisphere of the planet, also training intensely under subzero temperatures with weighted training gear. Krillin, on the other hand, trained in a more relaxed and calm manner with Master Roshi in Kame House, though he still trained hard enough to push himself past his previous limits.

In West City, however, the story was completely different. While Yamcha was predominantly occupied with his training, he'd make as much space on his schedule as he could to spend time with Bulma.

In contrast to all of the above was the proud Saiyan Prince, who spent the vast majority of his days over-working himself in the gravity chamber in the Capsule Corporation backyard at extremely intense levels of gravity, constantly building his strength and surpassing his previous limits and yet, no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to achieve the power he so desperately wanted to have within his grasp, his birth-right, the awesome power of the legendary Super-Saiyan.

Bulma and Yamcha's relationship was taking a nosedive, to say the least. Normally, the beautiful charismatic heiress would be mad at her boyfriend for taking peeks and what she perceived as flirting with other women, but now she was outright furious. She didn't know how much more of it she could take, before she finally broke, before they broke and somehow she knew deep inside that this time, it would be over for good. There would be no going back. Despite the aforementioned, however, Bulma's real issues with her boyfriend didn't lie in his off-the-radar behavior – she just genuinely felt that he wasn't the right one for her.

~~~~

It was Saturday afternoon. Bulma was in her lab, dressed in her lab attire, working harder than ever before to repair her surly houseguest's training bots, which he had once again managed to destroy, despite the major improvements herself and her father had made. After having spent weeks and finally completing a major project for Capsule Corporation earlier on, a humongous weight was lifted off her shoulders and she looked forward to a small break, a day off, yet here she was wasting away her time, all for the sake of that lousy ingrate of a Prince.

'What's up with that stupid arrogant jerk? Does he do this on purpose? Does he like driving me insane or does he just not care?' Bulma thought to herself, 'What am I thinking? Of course he doesn't care. Why would he? All that matters to him is himself. The rest of us are just servants to him. As far as he's concerned, we should be honored that we're serving his Royal ass.'

The phone rang. Bulma was exasperated enough as it was. The irritating and increasingly loud sounds of the phone ringing continued to cause the ire within her to skyrocket so fast, that she finally burst in a fit of rage and fury:

"WILL SOMEONE PICK UP THE GOD DAMN PHONE?! MOM! DAD!"

Then it hit her – her parents had gone away for the weekend and the only one in the house was her and Vegeta, who was most likely still torturing himself to death in the gravity chamber.

"URRRGGGGHHHH! GOD DAMN IT!"

She dashed towards the phone and roughly wrenched it.

"WHAT?!" She shrieked without thinking and immediately bit her lower lip, regretting her abrupt action.

The man flinched away from the phone after being attacked by Bulma's ear-piercing tone, overcome with shock and fear. After a moment or so, he brought it back to his ear as he answered.

"U-Uhhh, h-hey B-B-Bulma, i-it's m-m-me." Replied the man.

"Oh, hey Yamcha." Bulma sighed in relief, thanking God that it hadn't been a company-related call or something important.

"U-Umm…" Yamcha took a moment to clear his throat and take a deep breath to try and help overcome the shock of Bulma's terse and excessively loud 'greeting'. She'd had her nervous break-downs before and they weren't pleasant at all, to say the least, but never in his life would he imagine her to be riled up to such a degree, "So how are you?"

"Don't ask."

"Uh… Right… I can see you're having a terrible day."

"You have no idea." Responded Bulma in a bored manner, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you see I'm taking a break from training for a short-while and…" Yamcha cleared his throat once more "I was wondering if you'd like to, uh… go out tonight… I can book us a reservation."

"All right, sure", Bulma answered in a despondent manner. After all, she was disheartened and didn't have anything better to do than to go out with her pitiful 'lover', "Where at?"

"I want it to be a surprise Bulma." Said a surprised Yamcha, beaming. Based on her harsh 'greeting', he'd never have seen this coming.

"Whatever."

"So, uh… Pick you up at five?"

"Fine."

"Perfect, love you."

"Me too." Lied Bulma. She just didn't feel any real form of romantic affection for Yamcha anymore. Their relationship wasn't what it once was. She now saw him as more of a friend, than a lover.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The revelation

"WOMAN!"

Bulma jumped at the abrupt low-pitched outburst that made her ears ring. She turned around and saw Vegeta, standing several feet away from her, wearing his navy blue spandex shorts and sweatbands on his wrists, short white socks, white sneakers, with a white bandana across his forehead and a white towel draped over his shoulders and that trademark scowl etched across his handsome face.

She'd been so absorbed in her own thoughts about Yamcha that she didn't take notice of him having come inside.

"Urrrgghh… WHAT DO YOU WANT YOU ROYAL ASS CLOWN?!"

"Why are you not fixing those worthless bots of yours, you pathetic wench?!" Vegeta demanded. "I'm growing tired of these worthless endeavors at training. I need a proper challenge!"

"DO NOT CALL ME A 'WENCH', YOU JERK! I was fixing the bots, then the phone rang and I answered it, capisce?!" Bulma replied, growing more and more irritated than ever, "And if you love a proper challenge so much, then maybe you shouldn't destroy it every time you have it!"

"You're done answering that accursed contraption of yours, now get your lazy ass back to work before I make you… wench!" Vegeta responded, purposefully emphasizing the final word and not bothering to address her last statement. Oh how he enjoyed getting a rise out of her, it was a sensation beyond words for him.

"URRRRGGHH, WHY DO YOU HATE ME SO MUCH?!" Bulma yelled.

"I don't hate you, I like you…" The words just came out, as if on cue… from nowhere and he immediately closed his mouth, completely taken aback by what he had just said. Did he just say that? Where in the world did that come from? What could possibly have possessed him to say something like that? (A/N: Inspired by the following fan-art: art/I-Don-t-Hate-You-clr-136055181).

Bulma gasped and just stood there, stunned. She placed her fisted hand on her fluttering heart, staring incredulously at the arrogant Prince with her jaw dropped and eyes widened.

"You… l-like me?"

Vegeta's stunned features immediately reverted to his trademark scowl, except this time, he was far angrier than he had been in a long time. He did his very best to hide his anger but to no avail, Bulma could see right through him.

"Grrrrr… Shut up and get back to work, now!" Replied Vegeta, immediately turning around and slamming the lab door shut behind him.

'What on Earth did he mean by that? I'd never have expected him to say anything like that.'

Bulma sat back down on her desk-chair, with the bots right in front of her, her elbows on the desk and her hands on her face.

She was deep in thought about her royal houseguest's abrupt revelation. He liked her? In what way? What was she supposed to think? How was she supposed to respond? Would he even talk to her now or just avoid her? Would he avoid the shame he must have felt after unintentionally spitting out that bit of information?

She had to admit that she did really find him physically attractive. His features were immaculate, to say the least: the olive skin, his flame-like hair, those finely toned hardened muscles of his, which made him look like he'd been chiseled out of marble, and that devilishly handsome face. She had to admit, there were several occasions when she tried mentally undressing him – but how could she help it, if he so often walked around flaunting his flawless figure, wearing nothing but spandex shorts and a pair of sneakers? There was also that dream of hers, which she hadn't forgotten about to this day. Even though it was just a dream, the idea of Vegeta being nice and kissing her in such a sensual and passionate manner did arouse her deeply. It was only a dream and yet that one kiss felt far better than all the times Yamcha had kissed her – she daresay it was the best thing she'd ever felt, even though it wasn't real and it had raised a question in her mind for the longest time – was the real Vegeta as good a kisser as the man she'd dreamt of?

She shrugged off that thought, wanting to think about something else… It wasn't right to be thinking of another man, even if Yamcha could be a bit of an asshole. She wasn't exactly innocent either though – she did flirt with handsome men at times, so she guessed that it was hypocritical of her to be mad at Yamcha, but then she'd never done that since Yamcha had returned to life, mostly because she never really got the opportunity and really didn't care about it anymore. Truthfully that did make her think that they were clearly not right for each other – if they were neither of them would ever turn to others for attention.

As far as Vegeta went, what Bulma did really respect was his pride, determination, relentlessness and willingness to pursue a task, no matter how difficult it may seem and no matter what it may do to him - but he was still self-absorbed, arrogant and conceited. Or was that just a front – a mask he put on to prevent anyone from knowing or being able to see who and what he truly was?

She knew he didn't exactly have the best history, having committed genocide countless times against God knows how many innocents and having destroyed innumerable planets. But at the same time, she had to recognize the fact that that was how he was raised and she had to remember that he had a past filled with sorrow… He suffered tragedies she didn't think any man could endure, without going insane or committing suicide. A while ago Goku had told her what he knew of his past, from the final moments of his death on Namek, when she was talking on the phone with him and complaining about what an annoying jerk Vegeta was being as usual. She learned that he had actually shed tears and pleaded with his rival to destroy his tormentor and stop him from bringing ruin upon others, the way he did him and his race.

He was born a crown Prince of a proud warrior race; he was exceptionally prodigious in his fighting ability and was destined to become a powerful King of his race. And at the tender age of 5, he was handed away to the tyrant, known as Frieza, to become a slave, to commit atrocities and murder countless people, all to expand the vast empire of the despicable, shameless megalomaniac. And soon afterwards, that same tyrant obliterated his entire race and only 4 remained - the young Prince's life was reduced to rubble, along with his parents, his kingdom, his race, his everything. In that one fleeting moment, he was reduced to nothing but a slave in the clutches of the icy tyrant responsible for taking away his life, his dignity, his pride and everything and everyone he held dear. It would make sense then, why he kept all his emotions bottled up deep inside. He had to be cold, cunning, calculated and ruthless. How could he trust anyone after Frieza had violated his oath to spare his father, the King, had the young Prince done as he was told? How could he ever let anyone inside his circle?

Bulma's eyes began to glisten just thinking about all the horrors Vegeta must have faced. She'd never taken the time to sit down and contemplate on it, but now, for some reason, the need to reach out to him grew more than ever before. Was it because of his revelation just then? Perhaps… She couldn't help herself, as a tear escaped her eyes, followed by a several more.

'What am I doing? He doesn't want anyone feeling sorry for him, nor should he. He's a Prince.' Bulma thought, questioning her behavior, 'But even then, I will help him, I want to know the real Vegeta, not that mask of arrogance he always hides behind. I want to know the person he could've been, had it not been for that sick cold-hearted bastard, Frieza.'

With that in mind, she continued working on Vegeta's bots, determined more than ever to get through to him, no matter how hard she had to work.

~~~~

Vegeta was livid. He was seething with rage. What had he done? He told that foolish woman that he liked her. Never before had he thought about or even considered that. It just slipped out, as if on cue. It was driving him mad and he was barely able to concentrate on his training.

'It's all that foolish woman's fault. I have to avoid her at all costs. She's going to be the death of me.'

He continued his training as best he could.

~~~~


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Those deep cerulean pools

More productive and in far better spirits than ever, the young heiress finished repairing what was left of the bots within an hour and checked the time. It was 4:40.

'Dammit, I forgot about that idiot Yamcha. He said he'd be here at five.' Bulma remembered, 'To hell with him… He can wait a few moments.'

She was instantly starting to regret having agreed to go out with him. Bulma put the five bots in a steel box, which she capsulized and made her way to the gravity chamber in the backyard.

Bulma knocked on the door of the gravity chamber.

"WHAT?!" Came the loud demand of an irate Prince.

Bulma jumped, suddenly startled by his curt response.

"Your t-training b-bots are fixed, Vegeta." She replied somewhat taken aback be his terse growl. It was normally loud, but she could sense a deeper element of frustration incorporated in his voice.

Vegeta was surprised… Ever since he had come to live at Capsule Corporation, she never showed any instance of fear around him. When he returned to Earth, her idiot boyfriend and air-headed mother were shaking in their boots, while she simply approached him, smiling, with not a trace of fear in her. She even had the gall to poke his chest and tell him that how "awful" he smelled and that he needed a shower. After showering, she made him wear that ridiculous pink shirt and she and her pathetic weakling friends began laughing at his misfortune, whereby he responded by threatening to blast them all. While all the others shrank back in fear at his threat, that elegant smile of hers never left her beautiful face and she simply turned around looking at him with those stunning azure eyes of hers, assuring him that his younger rival would return to Earth. It was at that moment that he found himself quickly falling into those deep cerulean pools, but he quickly averted his gaze before he drowned in them.

He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now that he pondered back to that memory, he couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't feared him and what had changed to make her stutter in response to him.

He switched off the console in the gravity room and opened the hatch, going outside to retrieve the training bots from his pretty little hostess.

He was surprised to see her smiling at him, that same exquisite smile she presented him nearly a year ago and the same comfort offered in those entrancing pools of deep blue, which were her eyes. He quickly found himself in a 'déjà vu' situation and averted his gaze to avoid drowning in the magic of those azure eyes of hers. The arrogant Prince was baffled. One minute she sounded afraid and here she was offering him that enchanting smile, without a trace of fear on her – he knew, because he had the ability to smell fear – it was one of his greatest hobbies: immersing himself in the all-to-familiar scent of an enemy's fear before completely blasting them out of existence. Yet this woman did not fear him… at all. Perhaps that's what had drawn him to her. Was she crazy or just plain stupid? No, she couldn't be stupid. She was the most intelligent person he'd ever met and could decipher things just as well as himself, if not better. Did she see something in him that no one else did, he included?

Bulma could sense his discomfort and decided to avoid putting any pressure on him. She felt the need to comfort him, without smothering him and so she would have to take things slowly.

"Here you go…" She handed the capsule to him, her smile never leaving her beautiful face. As if out of nowhere, she kissed him on the right cheek, "Train hard, Vegeta."

Vegeta was awestruck. He gaped at her, eyes widened and a big blush smeared across his face. What in the world was that? She was seething with fury in the afternoon and here she was in such high spirits. He wanted to wrap his hands around her neck and strangle her to death or just blast her where she stood. He wanted to hurt her, badly, for having the impudence to touch him in such a disgustingly affectionate manner. She, nor anyone else, had ever done that to him before. But he couldn't hurt her, no matter how badly he wanted to. Why? What effect was she having on him? She was driving him crazy.

"I have to go now Vegeta. I'll be back in a few hours. There's some food in the fridge. Take it whenever you're hungry, okay?" Bulma said to him and quickly turned around, feeling a blush forming on her own cheeks, after seeing his shock and discomfort.

What in the world had driven her to kiss Vegeta? She didn't know, but she knew she had to leave immediately, lest she be severely reprimanded. Somehow she could tell that he wouldn't hurt her… She could see it in his deep unusually black eyes, but she would rather avoid being shouted at or engaging in another of their infamous verbal-sparring sessions - she knew that this time around she'd lose. Normally the victory could go either way, but for some reason, she didn't have it in her to be mad at him, during this particular moment, no matter what he did. Bulma turned around quickly, heading into the compound, upstairs into her room to get ready for her date with Yamcha.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Bulma's convictions

She was about to step into the bathroom to take a shower, when the doorbell rang. She sighed in frustration; she honestly did not want to see Yamcha today, even if she had before. In truth, she'd much rather spend the day with Vegeta.

'What? Where'd that come from?' She thought. It didn't matter anyway; Vegeta was going to spend his day torturing himself in the gravity chamber as usual, especially since he had the training bots to assist him with that.

Bulma ran downstairs and opened the door, trying her best to put on a fake smile.

~~~~

Vegeta stared at Bulma's retreating form as she returned to the compound. He felt a tingling sensation on his right cheek, where his beautiful hostess had kissed him. It sent a spiral of electricity down his entire body. Soon afterwards, he sensed a high power level approaching the compound and his defensive instincts were immediately on alert (A/N: Yes, Yamcha does have a high power level - he's the third strongest human, after all. He may be a bit of an idiot at times and suffer the worst luck all too often, but that doesn't negate the fact that he is a pretty damn powerful warrior).

He recognised the power – it belonged to the foolish woman's idiot of a partner. Vegeta grimaced at the thought of the scar-faced warrior being anywhere near him or Bulma.

'What am I thinking?'

Why did he care if scar-face was near Bulma? Why did it matter to him? A new feeling was arising within him and he knew what it was: jealousy. It only made his ire rise further. He could hardly stomach his presence earlier on as it was and he hadn't been in the compound in months, but something was different this time around. He felt far worse and worse thinking about him entering inside.

He couldn't hurt him though. If he did that, he knew he'd hurt the woman and for some reason, which was eating away at him, he could never do that. Getting her mad was one thing, but he couldn't stand the thought of her being in a state of sorrow. She was innocent, pure and beautiful. She epitomized everything he wasn't. He never wanted her to experience the same tragedy he did, even if it was on a minuscule level compared to the sufferings he underwent. Instead, he opted to take the next best alternative.

Using his renowned skills of stealth and survivalism, he dropped his power level down near 0 and dashed towards the compound near the front door, taking utmost care to hide himself from the scar-faced warrior's sight. He was there within moments…

~~~~

"Hey Bulma." Greeted Yamcha. He was wearing a Kung-Fu uniform, the top being an emerald green shirt with the Chinese character for 'wolf' embedded in white on the back and encircled in a round thick white border. The bottom was black.

"Hi." Replied Bulma. "Look, sorry, but its going to take me half an hour to get prepared. I spend so much time working on repairing the training bots that Vegeta destroyed."

Yamcha's face contorted in disgust.

"That stupid, arrogant, Saiyan animal."

"Yamcha, would you shut-up?!" Bulma's replied, a slight degree of sternness incorporated in her tone, afterwards sighing and softening her tone, "You don't have to insult him, okay? Just make yourself comfortable, while I get ready."

Vegeta was dumbfounded. Did she just defend him in front of her lover? She insulted him all the time (not that he minded, he found it rather amusing), yet she refused to allow scar-face to insult him.

Yamcha was likewise, taken aback by Bulma's response. As Bulma, turned around to go to her room, he called her.

"Bulma, did… did you just defend… Vegeta?"

"Yeah, I did! So what?! You got a problem with that?!" She replied, turning around, with a scowl etched on her face that matched Vegeta's. He certainly was starting to grow on her.

"But… why? You know what he is… he's a – "

"He's a person, just like me, just like you. Now drop it, okay?!" Bulma interrupted Yamcha - that scowl never having left her. She did not want to hear any more.

Vegeta was once again awestruck. A person? Everyone else thought of him as a demon, a despicable monster, a murderer, who deserved nothing more than to burn in the deepest pits of hell. Yet she didn't. What did she see in him that not even he himself could? Was there really more to him than he thought?

"A person?! How can you call him that, after what he's done? If I remember correctly, he killed not only me, but Tien, Chiaotzu and Piccolo!" Said an infuriated Yamcha, almost yelling, "He's a murderer, a monster. I hope he dies and burns in–"

SLAP!

Vegeta couldn't believe what he saw. She had just slapped her own lover in the face… hard. He could see the red imprint of her hand on his left cheek. Why would she do that?

"Sorry Yamcha," Sighed Bulma, having somewhat regretted what she did, though a large part of her believed he deserved what he got, thought she may not have had to slap him that hard. She continued, "Look I know what he's done in the past, but he hasn't killed anyone since he came to Earth (A/N: I'm assuming Bulma doesn't know about Vegeta's space-exploits when he went on his little Kakarot-hunting adventure)… He trains hard every day, harder than you can ever imagine, just so he can defeat the androids. I know his motives are selfish, but the bottom line is that he's choosing to take a course of action that will ultimately end up saving the Earth and I don't want you, nor anyone else, insulting him like that."

The surprises just wouldn't stop coming. She hurt her own lover for his sake. What could possibly have come over her? What's more, she never complemented him on his training. Why now? And not only did she refuse to look at him as a monster, she saw him as a savior.

'But that's absurd. I could care less about this pathetic planet and its plebian inhabitants. All I want is to prove my strength in battle by defeating the androids and then Kakarot, so that I can take my rightful place as the strongest fighter in the Universe.'

But a deeper part of him told him that while he didn't care much for the human race, he knew that he didn't want the blue-haired woman being alone, on a desolate dystopia of a planet, living a life swarmed by fear and death, the way her future counterpart did. He wanted her to remain the innocent and pure-hearted angel he saw her as. He never wanted her to have to suffer the pains of tragedy and loss, the way he did.

Vegeta was hurling curses at himself for thinking such things. Why did he care about her so much? Even his own life didn't mean much to him, now that Frieza was dead, but hers did. Why was that?

"I can't believe you just hit me Bulma - for insulting Vegeta, no less…" Said a hurt Yamcha, "You're seriously choosing him over me?"

"I never said that Yamcha." Replied Bulma, although a part of her believed that if it really came down to it, she may have chosen Vegeta. Why was that? For some reason Vegeta was very important to her. She knew she wanted to help him, but not even she would imagine choosing him over her own boyfriend, "All I'm saying is that you don't have to insult him."

"Why do you care about him so much, Bulma? What is he to you?" Yamcha asked, never having anticipated the evening to go down like this.

"He's my guest, for one. And… as stupid as it may sound, I think there's a lot more to him than he let's on." Bulma stated, "If I really thought he was a monster who's just underhandedly biding his time to murder us all, I wouldn't be helping repair his gravity chamber and training bots, to make him stronger… We need him for this battle, we won't survive without his help."

"HA! Goku's all we need." Yamcha declared confidently, smirking. "We can forget about Vegeta. He'll never be as strong as Goku and he'll never be a Super-Saiyan."

Vegeta could barely restrain himself. Insulting him was one thing, but lowering his status and underestimating his strength and abilities in such a vile manner was beyond what he could take. But he had to hold himself together. He had done well to keep his temper in check so far and he didn't want to go ruining that.

"Firstly, Goku's supposed to catch that heart-virus, according to the boy from the future. There's a chance he might be sick when the androids get here." Bulma responded, "Secondly, Vegeta's getting stronger by the minute, I can tell. Apart from Goku, he's the strongest fighter on the planet. If Goku's out of commission, Vegeta's our only chance. And thirdly, he will be a Super-Saiyan. I just know he will. It's only a matter of time and when it happens, there's a good chance he'll surpass Goku."

Vegeta was completely taken aback by this; she had such unbelievable faith in him. Even he didn't have that much faith in himself. Why was she willing to put all her bets on him?

"You make that sound like it's a good thing." Yamcha said, "If he does manage to surpass Goku, who's going to stop him from wreaking havoc on the planet? And last I checked, he still wants to kill Goku."

"If he wanted to wreak havoc, he would've done it when we all transported back to Earth from Namek." Bulma replied, "We all thought Goku died when Namek exploded, so as far as Vegeta knew, there was no one to stop him from going wild and yet he didn't… Part of me saw a change in him back then and I guess that's why I invited him to live here… As far as Goku goes… I don't think he'll kill him, even if he surpasses him… He just wants to defeat him, to prove to himself that he's the strongest fighter in the Universe."

'Ridiculous. I do want to kill Kakarot… don't I?' Vegeta pondered for a second. 'And what change is she talking about?'

Killing his younger Saiyan rival had been a goal deeply embedded into his mind, ever since suffering his humiliating defeat against the Z fighters on Earth.

"And you're willing to bet Goku's life on that?" Came Yamcha's response, "Really, Bulma, I thought you cared about him."

"I do care about him you moron, he's my best friend." Bulma replied honestly, narrowing her eyes at her scar-faced boyfriend, "I'm the one who found him when he was just a little boy living all alone in the woods and I told him about the dragon balls. Aside from his grandpa, I was the first human he'd ever seen. We have a strong history together and I'll always care about him. He's like my little brother… I just have a lot more faith in Vegeta than you. I… I just see something in him that neither you, nor anyone else can."

So that was it? She did, in fact, see him as something beyond the arrogant, haughty and self-absorbed Prince he always presented himself as. But what was it? Was this the change she was talking about?

"What do you see in him?"

"A… a good person." Bulma said, refusing to look Yamcha in the eyes as she said it, instead bowing her head, looking at the floor.

Vegeta froze. Accepting him as a person was one thing, but believing that he actually had the potential to be good was completely out of the question. He was anything but good; he'd slaughtered entire civilizations, killed billions and destroyed dozens of planets. Its what he did, all his life. How could he possibly have any relation with the word 'good' – that word defined everything that he wasn't. How dare she call him that? That was a complete mockery of the word. Yet he didn't feel angry with her for saying it. Why? Was there some form of truth to what she was saying? It couldn't be. That's impossible. He was evil. He always had been and he always would be, wouldn't he?

These thoughts began cramming into his mind and he didn't know how much more he could take. He'd always known and accepted who and what he was: an evil malicious sadistic monster. Yet this woman refused to accept that. Why was she so adamant in believing that he had the potential to be someone different than who he always had been? He knew she wasn't stupid - she was anything but that. But what other explanation could there be? Could she possibly be right?

"Really, Bulma?" Yamcha looked at her with furrowed brows, completely baffled by what he heard, "After what he's done. All the people he's killed, all the –"

"I already told you Yamcha, I know what he's done," Bulma interrupted him for a second time, her voice now softening and taking a more sad tone "But what you conveniently seem to either forget, ignore or are just unaware of, is that that's how he was raised. He was forced to become a soldier for that sick evil son of a bitch, Frieza, who gave him two options: Do as I say or everyone you care about dies. What choice did he have but to submit? And even when he did, Frieza killed his parents and his race and destroyed his planet. He could've been a King, possibly a great King, but it was all taken away from him when he was just a young boy. He lost everything and became a slave to the bastard responsible. I doubt there's anyone in the Universe who could experience even half of the horrors he's had to endure and not be driven to insanity. He's strong… stronger than you could ever imagine. He survived and I… I want to help him overcome his demons, no matter what it takes."

As she said this, her eyes began to glisten and one tear managed to escape from her shimmering deep blue orbs.

Vegeta was as stiff as ice. He could smell more tears that were threatening to escape her eyes. No one had ever shed a tear for him all his life. No one cared one bit about him or the suffering he had to endure, apart from maybe Nappa and Raditz, who only did so out of duty to their Prince, not genuine care or concern; everyone else he knew simply mocked, ridiculed, took satisfaction in or turned a blind eye to his pain. But not her – she felt his pain and it hurt her. How was he supposed to feel about that? But how did she know about his life?

"How did you know that Bulma?" Asked Yamcha, being completely oblivious of the revelation he had just heard. He'd known that Vegeta worked for Frieza and that Frieza destroyed the Saiyans and their planet, but that was about the entire extent of what he knew. Unlike Goku, Piccolo, Gohan and Krillin he hadn't witnessed Vegeta tragically recounting his life-story to his younger rival in a desperate plea for him to end the life of the villainous tyrant that had shattered his own life, in every way possible. Thus he hadn't known the details.

"Goku told me." Bulma stated despondently, a few more tears escaping her eyes.

'So it was that fool Kakarot… But why would he tell her that?!' Vegeta pondered, somewhat angered.

"Sorry Bulma, I… I didn't know." Yamcha stated.

"Its okay, let's just forget about this whole incident." Bulma smiled. She wiped away the tears from her face and kissed him in the cheek where she had slapped him earlier on. "Look, go make yourself comfortable, while I go get ready, okay?"

"Sure thing Bulma," Said Yamcha, somewhat relieved at his girlfriend's mood being uplifted.

Vegeta was disgusted at the display of affection between the two, but he wouldn't let it bother him. If anything, he was satisfied by the whole incident. He didn't know why, but a large part of him was glad that she was willing to defend him so strongly and put him before the scar-faced warrior. It made his respect, regard and care for her grow that much stronger. But he was still irritated by the fact that she had shed tears for his sake. He didn't want anyone pitying him. He was the mighty Prince of a proud warrior race. He was far above anyone's pity, let alone a weak and foolish woman. But he couldn't think of her that way. She meant more to him than that, a lot more and he still couldn't figure out why.

Bulma smiled at Yamcha before heading upstairs to her room, to take a shower and after getting out, put on a pretty-looking short sapphire-colored silk dress, which fell several inches above her knees. She then proceeded to sit in front of her dressing table, straightening out her hair and tying it into a high rope-braid, fashioning a few short bangs on her front, leaving long noticeable strands of frontal hair falling on either side of her face, before adding on her make-up. After finally finishing, she put on matching sapphire-blue high heels and picked up her light blue purse, making her way downstairs, ready to leave (A/N: Don't know much about fashion or how to describe it, so I just went with whatever I could come up with).

~~~~


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Going out

Before Bulma or Yamcha knew, Vegeta sneaked out of the compound through the back-door, silent as the grave, to return to his training in the gravity chamber. Upon arriving at his destination, Vegeta realized that he would have to spend the vast majority of his time focusing on his mind training, in order to rid himself of his thoughts of the blue-haired woman. He cared about her. He acknowledged that now, if he hadn't before, but he also knew that allowing his attachment to grow any further, would lead both of them down a dangerous road he didn't want to be anywhere near. Thus, he proceeded as planned.

~~~~

Yamcha went to the living room, where he found a dressing table with some cream on it, which he rubbed on his face, in order to remove the slap-mark still etched on his left cheek – a result of one of Bulma's many infamous outbursts. Being a powerful warrior and all, the mark would fade away rather quickly, but he wished to speed up the process, thus lowering any possibility of making a fool of himself in public.

Afterwards, he sat on the couch and proceeded to watch some television, merely flicking through the channels, to pass the time, until Bulma finished prepping herself.

~~~~

"Yamcha, I'm ready." Said Bulma, making her way to the living room.

Yamcha took one look at her and was awestruck… Ever since he had returned to life, she hadn't looked quite so good.

"Bulma, you look… amazing." Said Yamcha. All anger that he had as a result of Bulma's sudden assault earlier on had dissipated upon seeing the now beautifully dressed-up, made-up, heiress.

"Thanks Yamcha." Responded Bulma - a genuine smile etched on her face. She was feeling rather good after getting Yamcha to understand why she cared about Vegeta.

When they proceeded towards his red hover-car, Yamcha opened the passenger side for her, letting her in, before heading to his own door and sitting on the driver's seat. He was looking forward to this. They both were.

~~~~

For nearly an hour, Vegeta was trying his utmost to get rid of or at least control his thoughts of his beautiful blue-haired, azure-eyed hostess, via his mind-training, but he was failing miserably. What was she doing to him? Was this what the mighty Prince of all Saiyans was reduced to?

What did he want with her anyway? Did he want to mate with her? No, no way. That was a sacred Saiyan ritual, not meant for any outsiders. But there were no other female Saiyans. What's more, the blue-haired woman had already taken the scar-faced fool as a mate. His thoughts were driving him mad, beyond the point of insanity.

He would soon reach his melting point, so he had to focus his attention on something else. He knew it would be dangerous to train under such intense gravity, given his current mental condition, so he faced no choice, but to occupy himself with something else - food. The woman said that there were some supplies left in the fridge.

~~~~

Bulma and Yamcha had arrived at their destination, after about twenty minutes. Around five minutes into the way, Yamcha called the restaurant on his cell-phone and told them that he'd arrive within fifteen minutes.

It was Bulma's favorite restaurant in West City, right by the beach (A/N: Clichéd, I know - all the best restaurants have to be near the beach, huh?). Bulma was ecstatic - she hadn't seen this place in over six months. She never expected the day to go so well, she couldn't have been happier. Her seemingly falling relationship with Yamcha seemed to start blossoming once again.

Yamcha led her to their spot and within a couple minutes, the pair were soon served a vast array of fresh exotic dishes, sizzling kebabs on skewers, dumplings, egg rolls, a large bowl of beef noddle soup and some sweets and a pot of green tea on the side, along with all the necessary dishes, utensils, hand-wipes, tissues and tooth-picks.

Bulma was drawn deeply into the tantalizing aroma of the dishes before her.

Soon the two indulged themselves, feasting on the heavenly meals set before them.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The bitter truth

Just when they had nearly finished their meal, as if by fate, chance or perhaps misfortune, an attractive young woman with long straight black hair that cascaded several inches below her breast-line, black eyes and a porcelain complexion, wearing a short violet dress, slightly longer than Bulma's, had entered the restaurant a little earlier, with two little boys and a small girl by her side. She had spotted the duo, immediately making her way towards them.

"Hi Yamcha." The black haired-woman said, not looking too impressed.

Yamcha turned to the side, a deep sense of anxiety overcoming him.

"Oh… H-h-h-hey N-Naomi."

Bulma immediately knew what was going on. She was about to speak out, but was beaten to the punch.

"So, how are you?" She asked, a disappointed look etched across her face.

"I'm p-pretty g-good, h-h-how about y-you?"

"Good."

Bulma was heart-wrenched at what she saw, but decided it was better not to say anything and hear the conversation playing out. This would be the last straw for her, but for curiosity's sake, she wanted to hear out this exchange of words. However, she refused to take her eyes off of Yamcha, who was doing his utmost to avoid eye-contact with her.

"So kids, I t-trust all's w-well with y-you?" Yamcha asked, turning his attention to the children.

"Yeah, we're doing great Yamcha, I just reached black belt last week. One day I'll be as strong as you, I swear." The oldest child of the trio, the eleven-year old Jethro, spoke out.

"W-wow, that's g-g-great J-Jethro, you k-keep at it k-kid." Said Yamcha, ruffling the young boy's hair with his shaking hand, in a doomed effort to ease the tension of the situation.

"So, who's your friend here?" Asked Naomi.

"Oh, h-her n-name's, B-B-Bulma."

"That's nice, but who is she to you?"

"W-well, w-we've b-been f-f-friends for a very m-many y-y-years."

Bulma's eyes narrowed dangerously at Yamcha, who had spared her a glance for a short moment, quickly turning away afterwards. The strain he felt suddenly grew to new levels. He had never felt such tension prodding his very being like a battering ram. Never had Bulma given anyone such a menacing glare all her life. He felt as though that one look had the ability to literally burn him, inside-out.

"And are you still 'just friends'?" Came Naomi's reply, placing emphasis on the words 'just friends'. She knew she had him. For such a powerful warrior, he sure was easy to break.

"W-w-well…" Yamcha couldn't contain himself. He couldn't be here any longer. He would have done anything to avoid getting himself into such a complication. He was frozen and couldn't say another word. Bulma and Naomi continued glaring daggers at him. Bulma's glare was far more menacing though. After about ten seconds of silence, Bulma spoke out, in a deceptively calm manner.

"I'll answer that for you… Naomi." She said continuing to glare ominously at her soon to be ex-boyfriend, who was forced to look sideways, away from the direction of the two women, both of whom refused to lift their eyes off of him "We were dating, but clearly that's all over now. I guess I'm not the only one he cheated on."

Naomi was surprised, she had assumed that Bulma was just some bimbo, but she clearly saw a genuinely disheartened woman, who was devastated, a lot more so than herself. She had only been seeing Yamcha for a month. This woman had apparently known him for years and had now found out about his extra-curricular activities.

"Bulma please, there's no n-n-need for this…"

Bulma picked up her empty teacup and threw it in Yamcha's direction. Yamcha had his arms by his side, but moved his right hand up faster than the eye could see, catching the object flying in his direction with ease, before gently putting it on the table. He'd already been slapped once and he'd be damned if he let himself get embarrassed like that again, especially in public.

"Wow, Yamcha that was so cool. I didn't even see your hand move, you're super-fast." Said the young Jethro, marveled at Yamcha's phenomenal speed. Of course, fully powered up, Yamcha could move much, much faster.

The scar-faced warrior ignored the boy, his attention on focused on Bulma and the look of pain etched across her face.

Bulma didn't care whether or not she managed to hit Yamcha. Her own pain was far too much to handle. She could care less about his. She stood up, tears glistening her cerulean eyes and a look of indescribable pain taking over her. Naomi had seen the hurt engraved on her face and it was far beyond what she imagined and definitely greater than the hurt she felt. She had only to see her for a fleeting moment and she could see the feeling of distress in Bulma's shimmering azure eyes.

Bulma turned around, cupping her face and proceeded to run out of the restaurant.

"Bulma wait." Called Naomi, making her way towards her.

Bulma was surprised and even though she didn't want to do anything but leave Yamcha's presence, she felt obliged to turn around and look at the woman, who like her, had experienced disloyalty from the man that was supposed to be hers and hers alone.

"It's getting late. Do you have a cell-phone? You should call a cab." Said Naomi.

Bulma's eyes widened and she recalled that she forgot her cell-phone - she was in too much of a rush to remember. She checked her purse to make sure and found that it wasn't there. She was about to leave the restaurant and run away as far as she could, anywhere, without any reception and no one to tend to her. She was miles from Capsule Corporation.

Naomi approached her putting her hand on her shoulder, offering her a warm smile.

"Its okay… You can use mine." She said.

Naomi reached into her purse and pulled out her cell-phone, handing it to Bulma, who smiled back at her as best she could.

"Thanks… And, I'm sorry… about everything." Said Bulma, an apologetic look on her face.

"Don't be, you didn't do anything wrong." Replied Naomi, reassuringly.

Bulma's smile widened but at the same time she felt terrible - terrible that a woman as kind and caring as Naomi had experienced such betrayal.

Yamcha approached the two women.

"Bulma, wait, I can take you h-"

SLAP!

This time it was Naomi who slapped Yamcha in the face, he was caught totally off-guard.

"You've got some gall, offering her a lift after what you did!" Reprimanded Naomi… She could feel Bulma's sorrow.

~~~~

Meanwhile, Bulma went to a nearby corner and called for a cab to pick her up.

~~~~

"Yamcha, you could've easily blocked that." Said Jethro.

"Jethro, not now!" Said Naomi, in a reprimanding tone, keeping her dark gaze fixed on Yamcha, who was looking in Bulma's direction. Her little siblings were completely unaware of the situation. Their minds were still young and innocent.

"Why'd you s-slap Y-Yamcha?" Asked the little seven-year old girl, Jasmine, the youngest of the trio of kids, who was starting to panic at the tension of the situation.

"Because he's a two-timing jerk and we're through."

"Two timing? What does that mean?" Asked the younger of the two boys, the nine-year old, Hunter.

"I'll tell you some other time." Responded Naomi.

"Hey, take that back! Yamcha's no jerk… He's cool… He's the strongest guy on the planet." Said Jethro.

"No, Jethro, your sister's right…" Yamcha sighed, "I'm an idiot. There's no excuse for what I did, I guess I just didn't know any better…"

"Well I'm glad that you at least have the backbone to admit it." Said Naomi.

"Yeah… Look, I'm sorry Naomi… I just–"

"Save it." Replied Naomi, putting her right hand up, her other hand on her hip, "Bulma's the one you should be apologizing to, not me."

By now, Bulma had called a cab and made her way to Naomi, handing her phone back to her.

"Listen Bulma, I'm sorry." Yamcha tried to say.

"I can't thank you enough Naomi. You're a great person and you never deserved any of this." Bulma was smiling warmly at her, ignoring the apologies of her now ex and focusing all her attention to Naomi, "Listen, I'd really like to get to know you better and have you meet with my other friends. They're all great people. Just give me a call any time you want, okay?"

"Sure, that sounds great." Naomi beamed at her.

"Are your friends as strong as Yamcha?" Asked Jethro, who was still completely unaware and unconcerned about what was going on… He was only 11, a child prodigy at fighting, it seemed. All that 'relationship' stuff made no sense, as far as he was concerned – fighting was the only thing that occupied his innocent young mind.

"Some are stronger, some aren't." Bulma couldn't help but smile at the young boy's innocent carefree nature. It reminded her somewhat of Goku when she'd first met him as a child.

"What?! No way, how can anyone be stronger than Yamcha?" A baffled Jethro asked, "He moves so fast and he's shown me some of his fighting moves. He has insane power."

"She's right kid, believe it or not, I'm not the only one that has power like that." Yamcha confessed, chuckling, amused by the young boy. "There's a few other people like me out there and some that are way stronger than I could ever be."

Bulma, meanwhile, proceeded to give Naomi, her private cell number. She needed a friend, someone she could talk to, someone to comfort her, after the dreadful reality had just hit her – Yamcha cheated on her. He'd never done that before. Sure, he'd flirt, as she perceived it, or take peeks at other girls, but she'd never known him to officially go out with another woman, whilst dating her. He didn't know just how badly he'd wounded her.

"Bulma, p-please, j-just t-talk to m-me." Pleaded Yamcha, whose spirits began to dampen.

"Bye Naomi… Thanks again for everything."

"Bye Bulma and it was my pleasure."

She turned around, completely ignoring Yamcha. She wasn't going to oblige him any further. She wouldn't even slap him or shout at him… She honestly didn't care. He wasn't worth any wasted effort on her part. It was over, for good. It broke her heart to think so, but there was absolutely no other way around it. She knew that when she went home tonight, she'd have a sleepless night, far worse than anything she'd experienced any time recently.

Yamcha tried making his way to Bulma – he was devastated that not only had she broken up with him, she refused to even talk to him, reprimand him, hit him or even look at him. He would've preferred any of the above to the silent treatment.

"Bulma, w-wait, I'm really s-"

Naomi tugged Yamcha's arm and he turned around to see her shaking her head at him.

"You can't force her to forgive you Yamcha, especially after what you've done." Naomi explained sternly, "You've broken her heart and I'm almost certain that there's no chance, she'll ever be willing to be in a serious relationship with you again… Maybe she'll forgive you someday and be friends with you again, but that's her call. You just have to wait. It's the least you deserve anyway."

Yamcha looked down at the floor despondently and sighed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Making amends

"Hey Yamcha," Said Hunter, out of nowhere, "Could you show me some of your moves someday, like you did Jethro? I'm training hard as well, I've almost reached brown belt. I shouldn't be too far from him."

"Yeah, me too Yamcha." Said Jasmine, "I'm not really into fighting that much, but I'd still love to see your moves."

Yamcha couldn't help but smile at the innocence of the children. Despite the terrible experience he'd just suffered, they seemed to mend his shattered spirits somewhat.

"Anytime kids," Replied Yamcha, "Just give me a call whenever you're free and I might even give you a few pointers."

"That's great Yamcha, I can't wait!" Exclaimed Jethro, beaming.

Yamcha smiled at him before looking at Naomi, in a disheartened manner.

"I know it might be too much to ask Naomi, especially after what I've done." He began, "But can we still be friends… for their sake?"

Naomi sighed and smiled, seeing Yamcha's sincerity. Despite his unforgivable act, she wanted her little siblings happy and she knew that Yamcha was a fatherly figure to all three of them. She didn't want them to be influenced by any bad aspects of his personality, but she knew that aside from that he was a genuinely nice and caring person, with unique fighting prowess, which the children could learn a lot from.

She was her mother, Azalea's, only daughter, who had died of lung cancer, 16 years ago, when Naomi was only 11, leaving a giant hole in her heart. Her father, Elijah, too, was devastated at the death of his beloved, even more so than her, but four years later he fell for a childhood friend of his, Celine, who was a few years younger than him – the two married soon after and conceived her half-siblings. A couple years ago, both her father and stepmother perished in a tragic air-crash, which left her more devastated than ever before.

Naomi was very intelligent and having a high-paying job. However, she was forced to reduce her working hours, in order to look after the her little brothers and sister – the company she worked for wasn't too happy about it, but they knew it was extremely difficult to find a financial analyst as talented as her. A few months back she was offered a slightly higher-paying salary at a West City branch for the same company. She and her family lived in a more remote location, in the Southern hemisphere of the world, in a largely tropical region called Grenatia (A/N: Influenced by Grenada - I'm purposefully avoiding adding factual countries/cities because they DO NOT exist in the Dragon Ball Universe). Although she was reluctant to leave her home, she knew travelling to west city would be of benefit to her and would possibly open the way for ample job-opportunities and a better education for the children. She rented a small one-floor house with four bedrooms and two bathrooms in a relatively remote part of West City. Although new in town, Jethro and Hunter knew that West City had several branches of the famous martial-arts dojo where they used to train at back home and so they continued building their progress from where they left off.

Bulma, being the world's richest girl and heiress to Capsule Corporation, was often the centerpiece for several news bulletins, however, being as busy as she was, Naomi didn't have the time nor the care to focus on television or read newspapers. The welfare of what was left of her family was all that mattered to her. The boys, on the other hand, would spend time watching martial arts films anime, training and doing other 'boy stuff', while Jasmine would read fairy-tales, most often centered around romance, and watch romantic films and anime. Thus it made sense that they neither knew nor recognised the one-and-only Bulma Brief and although they, like any person with a shred of knowledge of the outside world, knew about Capsule Corporation, they were unaware of her association with it.

At the relatively young age of 27, Naomi was finding it difficult to multi-task. Thus Yamcha's assistance would be much appreciated, especially since the children had no one else.

Yamcha knew her history, when they met each other at a gym two months back (despite her tight-schedule she made some free time to preserve her aesthetically pleasing appearance). The two began visiting each other a few times, having formed a strong bond of friendship a while later, and Yamcha really enjoyed interacting with her little brothers and sister, so eventually she asked him if he would be willing to date her. Despite dating Bulma at the time, he just didn't have the heart to refuse her, even though he knew it was a terrible act on his part.

"Sure thing Yamcha." Replied Naomi, placing her hand on his shoulder.

He smiled back, glad that things didn't turn out so bad after all. He headed towards the counter and paid the bill for his meal and reservation.

Naomi and her half-siblings had, meanwhile, settled down on a table, when Yamcha approached them.

"Hey, listen, all of you," Said Yamcha, "I'll pay for whatever meal you're having, okay?"

"Yamcha, that's not necessary." Naomi sighed, although she knew that she was currently facing somewhat grim financial circumstances. The only reason she came to this restaurant was because she wanted to do something nice for the children.

"I'm afraid I insist." Said Yamcha, dropping a one-thousand zeni bill on the table.

"Look Yamcha, I don't want charity." Said Naomi, narrowing her eyes at her ex.

"Its not charity, Naomi… it's a token of friendship." Said Yamcha, once again offering her a sincere smile.

Naomi contemplated for a moment, before accepting Yamcha's gesture.

"Alright fine… thanks Yamcha." She smiled back. She was still mad at him, but not as much for herself as she was for Bulma. But even then, she knew he was doing his best to make amends – paying her bills couldn't make up for what he had done, but it was still a reasonable start, she guessed.

"Anytime… Bye everyone." Smiled back Yamcha.

"Bye Yamcha." Replied the trio of children in unison, smiling at him.

Yamcha turned around and left the restaurant to head back to his apartment. He'd lost two relationships that evening and it was entirely his fault, but he didn't seem nearly as unhappy as he should've been. He would take Naomi's advice and wait a while, before trying to reach out to Bulma once again. More than himself, he was devastated at the effect his disloyalty would have on his first love and life-long friend.

~~~~


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Unlikely comfort

Bulma waited outside for her cab, which came a couple minutes later. She made her way inside.

"Capsule Corporation, please." Ordered Bulma, nicely of course, but still carrying that disheartened look on her face and her eyes still glistening, but she refused to cry in front of a stranger.

"Oh, you're Bulma Brief, aren't you?" Asked the driver.

"Yeah." She answered despondently.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, dear lady, I never thought I'd have the hon-"

"There's no honor in seeing me." Interrupted Bulma, still despondent with tears glistening her beautiful azure eyes, "I'm just another foolish girl, nothing more… Now, can you please just take me home?"

"Uhhh… Sure thing, Ms. Brief." Replied the baffled driver.

The driver didn't think it was his place to ask what caused her mood to dampen so much, thus the journey home was relatively quiet, with the driver asking a few questions here and there about how her job was and how the company was faring and Bulma answering as vaguely as she possibly could, hoping it would discourage him from continuing to try and make conversation – and it worked like a charm.

"That'll be 186 Zeni, Ms. Brief." Informed the driver when they finally reached their destination.

"Here." She replied, giving him a 200 Zeni bill and telling him to keep the change.

"Oh thank you…" He said, "Bye, Ms. Brief."

"Bye." She responded, trying her best to smile at him, before turning around and heading to the compound.

Without bothering to go to her room or anywhere, she simply plopped herself on a sofa and began balling her eyes out, letting all her tears out slowly. She'd never felt so betrayed all her life. She couldn't believe what Yamcha had done – the man she once thought she loved… the only man she'd ever had a relationship with thus far.

~~~~

Vegeta was in the kitchen, eating his meal when he sensed his beautiful hostess entering the compound. He didn't pay much attention to it, instead focusing on his eating. He needed to get his mind off her at all costs. But then he smelled her tears and they began lacerating him from the inside. He couldn't stay there any longer. He had to return to the gravity room.

'Damn that woman! Just as I'm starting to get my mind off her, she comes inside to ruin it all!'

He immediately left to return to the gravity room after finishing up his meal quicker than ever. He needed some distraction; her tears were burning him up.

He went inside the chamber and turned the gravity simulator up to 500Gs. He immediately collapsed on his knees, but then composed himself quite easily and commenced with 1000 push-ups, followed by 500 vertical press-ups. He knew it was a gamble, training with her eating away at his mind, but he had to rid himself of her presence. About half-way into his set of vertical press-ups, a thought hit him.

'What made that woman cry?'

He hadn't paid it much attention at the time. He was focusing all his attention on keeping his mind free from thoughts about her, via eating and training… But this new question began eating away at him. He could not train a moment longer with that thought completely invading every part of his mind. So he turned off the gravity console to focus on his mind training, only this time, it was to no avail. Nothing could get his mind off her. He had to see what was wrong with her… How could someone as strong-willed as her be reduced to such a pitiful state? He had to find out, before he reached the point of insanity.

He sensed her Ki still in the same spot in the living room and so left the gravity chamber to go into the compound. He made his way towards her.

He planned to yell at her as loud as possible for having forced him into this. When he was a few feet from her, she gasped and looked up. Her apprehensive expression quickly returned to one of sorrow and Vegeta saw the tears glittering those stunning azure eyes of hers, which looked swollen. He saw the tear marks below her eyes and also noticed a set of used tissues on the couch to her left. Her dressing also amazed him - she looked flawless, apart from her tear-stained face. He could not shout at her after seeing her this way, it just was not in him, he still managed to preserve his stoic expression on the outside, but was softening up on the inside.

"Woman?" He asked, trying to hide the gentleness of his tone. Bulma didn't notice it. Her mind was preoccupied with the terrible evening she had experienced. She couldn't say a word and instead continued to look at her houseguest despondently.

"Would you stop looking so pitiful?!" Vegeta tried to yell as loud as he could, but it wasn't all that loud.

"Sorry, Vegeta." She responded, turning away from him… She didn't have the spirit to be mad or argue. She was just distraught, completely devastated.

Vegeta was surprised at her response. He expected and even wished for her to go berserk. He loved that fiery spirit of hers, which seemed to just have vanished. It was tearing away inside of him.

He reluctantly sat by her right-side on the couch, much to her surprise, glaring at her. Being in such close proximity was not what he had in mind, but from what he knew, her parents and lover did sit close by her whenever she was gloomy, so he figured that perhaps that's what people on this planet did to comfort one another, not that he cared – he simply wanted her out of his damn mind so that he could train properly and her current predicament allowed anything but that.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" He grumbled, sickened by the way she was behaving. Her fervent spirit was one of her features that had drawn him to her. Whatever happened to it?

"Nothing… Just forget about it, okay?"

"No! Tell me why're being so pathetic?!" He demanded.

"What does it matter to you, anyway?!" She growled, starting to grow irritated with his persistent behavior. Why was he being so nosy all of a sudden? Why wasn't he in the gravity room? Her mood shifted yet again, this to one of curiosity. "Why… Why aren't you training?"

Vegeta thought about it for a while, before answering.

"I was… distracted… Now tell me why you're behaving in this idiotic manner!" He grumbled again.

"If you must know it's because of Yamcha, happy now?!" She exclaimed.

"What did scar-face do? Did he die?" He asked curiously, a gleam of hope in his eyes.

Bulma couldn't help but snicker a little at his question.

"No, he didn't die, silly." She said, smiling somewhat and soon afterwards, looking disheveled yet again. She sighed, "He… Cheated."

"What do you mean… cheated?"

"He was dating another woman, while dating me."

"What's dating?"

"It means when you're seeing another woman, you know, like a relationship between a man and a woman." Bulma was looking somewhat less sad and actually finding a little comfort in elucidating the situation to Vegeta. It did serve as a good distraction from her pain.

"But why would he be with another woman, if he'd taken you as his mate?" Asked a perplexed Vegeta.

"Because… He's an unfaithful despicable jerk and we're through!" She explained, now looking at the floor, eyes narrowed hatefully, "I hate him and I hope I never see him again."

Vegeta narrowed his own eyes in contemplation. A few short moments passed before he spoke.

"If you're not going to see him again, then why be sad?" He asked, "Shouldn't you be happy?"

Bulma once again smiled a little. It was hard to imagine him being a ruthless killer at this moment, by how innocent his questions sounded.

"You don't understand Vegeta." She said, smiling sadly, "When someone you trust and care about betrays you like that, it hurts."

Vegeta once again began thinking and spoke out after a while, meeting her dispirited expression with his own phlegmatic countenance.

"Why should it hurt?" Vegeta asked, scowling and then continuing, "He's a pathetic fool, who violated your trust. Why would you reduce yourself to crying over the likes of him? He's nothing compared to you, just a foolish, brainless idiot, who doesn't mind being whipped around… You're a lot stronger than he is… not physically, but mentally… You never belonged with a moron like him anyway… He was never worthy of your affection or your tears."

Bulma gaped at Vegeta.

'Did Vegeta just praise me? All he ever does is insult me. What's up with him?'

Vegeta wiped away the tears on her eyes gently with his folded up right index finger, pulling his hand back after finishing – he had seen the scar-faced warrior do that to her once, so he figured it may uplift her pathetic pitiful mood. This surprised Bulma further, but her incredulous look soon changed into a warm smile and she put her right hand on Vegeta's left, which was resting on top of his thigh. He was still wearing his training attire, revealing those finely built muscles of his, but she was too distracted to care all that much about his physique.

"You're right Vegeta." She told him, "I shouldn't waste away my tears on him."

Vegeta was about to pull his hand away, when she rested her face on his neck and shoulder, causing him to stiffen. He could feel her soft warm face touching him and it sent jolts of electricity throughout his body. The feeling was indescribable… He felt… good - he'd never felt so good. He didn't want this. It was too much for him to handle, but his body wouldn't move, despite his mind's commands. Her touch was overwhelming.

Vegeta couldn't help himself as he instinctively squeezed her hand slightly… He was still stuck in the same position, however.

Bulma was startled by his response to her display of affection, but couldn't say she wasn't pleased. Why was he acting this way? Was this what he meant when he said that he liked her? Every bit of discomfort she felt had now dissipated. She smiled and Vegeta could feel the smile against his bare shoulder.

"Thank you… Vegeta." She said, then turned her face leftwards, so the right side of her face was now resting against his shoulder. Yamcha had taken away all her happiness with his act of betrayal, but it took Vegeta a short moment to restore it to her. She daresay she never felt better all day.

"For what?" He asked, shifting his gaze in her direction, without moving an inch.

"For being here for me." Bulma replied smiling and after pausing for a moment, continued, "And just for the record… I like you too."

Vegeta didn't like the situation he was in. Her close proximity and kind words would only further cripple his damaged mind, but he knew that if he left or insulted her, she would most likely return to moping, which would once again cause him distraction. He was in a lose-lose situation and he wasn't too happy about it.

Bulma, on the other hand, was happier than she had been in a long time. Who would ever have imagined that the surly Prince would bring her comfort when she most needed it?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: That scent

Long moments had passed before Bulma finally broke the silence.

"You hungry, Veggie?" She asked.

"I already ate…" Vegeta replied, "And do not call me that."

"Sure thing… How about 'Geta?"

"Just call me by my damn name, 'arrogant jerk', 'royal pain in the ass' or whatever other strange insults you concoct!" He grumbled.

Bulma giggled a little, still resting her head on his shoulder.

"Nah… I think I'll just call you 'Geta." She teased, "You have to admit, it sounds kinda' cute."

Vegeta was getting more annoyed at her by the second. He tilted his face in her direction.

"Annoying wench!" He grumbled.

"Hey, don't call me a wench!" She growled, lifting her face up to glare at him.

Vegeta smirked and snickered a little.

"You're a wench and a crybaby."

He was really starting to annoy her. She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, contemplating her next move, before finally speaking.

"Whatever…" She said, then teased, "By the way, you sure you don't want a Veggie burger, 'Geta?"

Vegeta gnashed his teeth at her, causing her to smirk in response.

"Has anyone told how adorable you are, 'Geta?" She said, now grinning.

He snarled at her and she answered with a giggle, proceeding to kiss him on his left cheek. She then got up from the sofa and fled to her room, to get changed, satisfied with her victory against the mighty Prince of Saiyans.

Vegeta was stunned at her audacity… His cheek tingled and his eyes widened, but soon afterwards his face returned to a grimace.

'How dare she?! Stupid Earthling woman… I'll show her!'

With that in mind he stealthily made his way upstairs, hiding himself carefully outside her room, ready to pounce on her the moment she exited.

~~~~

Bulma was changing in her room, all the while thinking about Vegeta and how he had comforted her.

'I knew there was more to him. He can be such a nice guy. I would've never thought he had it in him. I can't help but feel proud of him.'

She finished undoing her hair and straightening it out, before going to the bathroom, undressing, washing the makeup off her face and going to her room to put on a pair of slightly pink silk pajamas that ended a few inches above her ankles and a somewhat-tight cotton light pink singlet, with three ornate white flowers illustrated on the front.

It was too early to sleep and she was well sated with the meal she ate when out with Yamcha, so she decided to go find Vegeta and perhaps get him to spend some time with her… hopefully.

The moment she exited her room, Vegeta pounced on her straddling her waist, pinning her hands to the floor besides her head and grimacing.

She gasped, stunned at suddenly finding herself in such a precarious situation. One moment she had walked out of her room and the next, she was pinned to the ground.

"You think you can insult the Prince of all Saiyans and get away with it?!" Vegeta snarled.

Bulma was stunned at the sudden outburst but when she knew who it was, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, its you Vegeta…" She said calmly, "Don't scare me like that. I thought some idiot burglar broke into the house or something."

'What the hell is going on?' Vegeta thought. His plan was to scare her beyond her wits, so she would never even consider making a fool of him again, but even when she was being pinned beneath him to the ground, she showed no hint of fear. 'This woman must be crazy.'

"If I were you, I'd be shaking in my boots, wench…"

"V-Vegeta, c-could you p-please get o-o-off me?"

Vegeta smirked. Finally she was becoming afraid. He bent his head down and placed the tip of his nose on the crook of her neck, sniffing.

Bulma was forced to suppress a giggle.

'She was stuttering just a moment ago. Why does she not smell of fear?'

He got up and looked at her, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He then returned to his position, sniffing her from the crook of her neck, before moving rightwards to her throat and then up towards her chin and higher, until the tip of his nose was touching her bottom lip. There was still no smell of fear.

Bulma couldn't hold herself any longer and began giggling. Vegeta got up again and grimaced at her.

"What are you laughing at, foolish woman?!"

"You're tickling me…" She giggled.

Vegeta was stunned. What in the world was happening? Why was she not reeking of fear? She was just laughing right in his face. It was demeaning in every way possible. He wasn't some clown. He was the Prince of a proud warrior race.

"V-V-Vegeta, p-please, l-let go."

That did it. Vegeta's opportune moment came. He brought his nose down on her neck again and began sniffing, rubbing his nose around the general vicinity. He smelled no fear, but this time he noticed how soothing her scent was. It was so comforting. He continued sniffing around the area, moving his nose around her neck, jawline and lips, for a while. Never had he smelled a scent nearly as sweet as hers. It was intoxicating.

"Vegeta, please stop it… Are you planning to tickle me to death?" Bulma pleaded, trying her best but failing to suppress her giggles.

It didn't make any sense. He got up and narrowed his eyes at her again. Why was she stuttering earlier, if she wasn't afraid? A while after her laughter ceased, another scent hit him. Why hadn't he smelled it earlier?

'No, it can't be.' He thought to himself.

He lifted his hands off hers and began moving his head down, until he reached her groin. He began sniffing the area where her nether lips were located. Bulma sat up and gasped. She had the biggest blush on her face. Feeling his nose sniffing and touching her in that particular region caused her arousal and embarrassment to heighten very quickly and with great difficult, she resisted the urge to buck her hips at him.

Vegeta suddenly got off her and took a few steps back, gaping at her in absolute disbelief.

'So that's why she was stuttering… It had nothing to do with fear!'

Bulma stood up, looking at him, trying to hide the blush on her face. She noticed his discomfort, however and knew something was off with him.

'No way. He doesn't know… Does he?' She thought to herself, worriedly.

"W-What's wr-wr-wrong V-Vegeta?" She asked, in apprehension.

"You… Your scent… I…" Vegeta still looked at her in shock and took a moment to gather his bearings, "I could smell your desire."

Bulma's blush grew, but before he could notice she turned around and cursed him mentally for putting her in such a position.

"I… well…" She began, anxiety ingrained in her voice, before taking a breather and trying to shift the subject "What on Earth were you doing Vegeta? Why were you pinning me down and sniffing me for?"

Vegeta continued thinking about her desire for him for a moment, before getting his wits together. It seems he was as uncomfortable with the whole situation as she was, so this time he would oblige her, by focusing his attention on something else.

"I… I wanted to smell your fear." Answered Vegeta, "But I couldn't smell it on you… so I kept trying."

"Oh…" Bulma said, having no idea what he meant and wanting to divert the topic. "Well, I came out of my room to find you, anyway. So…"

"What? Why?"

She turned around, the blush no longer prevalent on her.

"Well…" Bulma started, "Its too early to sleep and I… I wanted to spend some time with you."

"Doing what?" Vegeta asked suspiciously. He did not expect things to end up this way.

"I don't know… What do you find interesting?"

"Training."

Bulma rolled her eyes. What other answer could she possibly expect?

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Well, do you want to do something else for once?"

"No."

"Oh come on, 'Geta…" Bulma pleaded. "Let's watch a movie or play games or something."

"Forget it, I won't reduce myself to such mediocrity." Vegeta grumbled, "You've already wasted enough of my time with you and your stupid moping. I have training to do."

But Vegeta knew he couldn't train, not in his current mental condition, which was getting worse and worse, every time he was in the blue-haired beauty's presence. Would he have to oblige her… again?

Bulma headed his way, putting her hands on his shoulders and giving him the puppy-dog eyes.

"Please 'Geta…" She pleaded softly in a girlish voice, with a despondent look on her face. "For me…"

"Grrrrr… Fine, now shut up!" He snarled. He would do anything to stop her looking at him in that manner.

'Yes, score 2, Bulma.' Bulma thought to herself, taking her hands of his shoulders. 'Who would've thought so much would happen in just one day? It's unbelievable.'

Bulma grabbed Vegeta's hand and led him towards the recreation room. He was still wearing his training clothes, but she didn't pay it any heed and neither did he.

"You know, you might act like a jerk, 'Geta," Bulma said smiling at him. "But deep inside, I think you're really a nice guy."

"Would you shut up, before I change my mind?!" He groused, as he wrenched his hand away.

Bulma looked at him in askance, but stopped talking. She continued making her way to the recreation room and was relieved when she saw that Vegeta was following along, glad that she hadn't ruined her one chance to spend time with her surly houseguest. She never really did anything with him before, except fix the gravity room and the training bots and prepare his meals on occasion. She would savor this moment.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Kiss

When the two entered the recreation room they sat in close proximity to one another on a two-seater sofa, which Bulma adjusted into a sofa bed.

Vegeta was stunned.

"W-Woman, just w-what are you planning?"

"Relax, Vegeta," She began, "I'm not planning anything. We're just going to watch a movie all right? Nothing more."

"Fine, but try making any moves on me and I'll blast you into oblivion." He said, still apprehensive, after smelling her arousal only moments earlier.

"Firstly, you're dreaming and secondly, you could never hurt me."

"Yes I could… I could turn you into ashes with my little finger."

"Perhaps… but I know you won't." She smiled knowingly.

Vegeta merely hmphed and sat on the right side of the sofa bed, with his legs crossed, while Bulma picked up a collection of DVDs and brought them to him.

"So, what do you want to watch?" She asked.

"I don't know… I don't care."

"All right, fine. Let's see, uh…" Bulma asked and after shuffling through, pulled out a martial arts film. "How about this? I really like this one and I think you will too. There's lots of action and fighting and stuff in it."

"Whatever." Vegeta said, sounding bored, but the film did sound interesting. What kind of fighting would it incorporate? His curiosity was slightly piqued.

Bulma put the disk into the DVD-player and went to lie on her side of the couch.

"Vegeta, you don't have make yourself so uncomfortable." Bulma said, as she was lying down, "Just lie down."

"Would you shut-up and quit trying to control me?!" He replied. He always kept himself in a position where he knew he had his guard up. He had been used to it, after years and years of battle.

"Geez, you're such a grouch. I was just trying to help make you comfortable."

"Well don't, just shut-up."

"Jerk."

"Wench."

Bulma rolled her eyes and sighed. There was simply no helping the Saiyan Prince with his rude arrogant behavior. But maybe that's what why he fascinated her so much. He was unique; he had unshakable pride, courage and determination. He was a Prince.

Bulma switched the "play" button on the remote and the film began. She fast-forwarded the opening credits.

One hour into the film, Vegeta found that he was drawn in. Sure the humans were unbelievably slow and weak, but he found some of the moves they used to be quite fascinating.

Bulma spared him a glance and noticing the extent to which he was captivated by the film. She smiled and turned back to the television. She was still irked by him sitting in a cross-legged position, but she would let it slide.

About forty minutes later, Bulma couldn't help herself and fell asleep on the couch. It had been a long day after all. When the ending credits began, Vegeta knew the film was over and turned in Bulma's direction, only to find her asleep. He looked at her for a while.

'She looks so… beautiful.' He thought and then mentally chastised himself for his thoughts. He didn't want to wake her up, nor leave her asleep in the couch, so he cradled her into his arms and held her like a child, taking her to her room.

"What… time… is it?" Bulma mumbled groggily.

Vegeta stopped dead in his tracks. He spared her a glance and realized she was just sleep talking. He sighed in relief and continued on till he reached her room.

He opened the door and gently laid her on the bed, before placing her covers over her body. He then sat on one knee and starting running his hand through some loose tresses of hair on the right side of her face and then gently tracing his folded index finger along her cheek. He saw her smiling and couldn't help himself. He unknowingly brought his face down and gently kissed her lips.

"Vegeta." She whispered against his lips, her smiling broadening.

He pulled immediately, frozen, heart thudding against his chest and he sighed in relief after he realized she was sleep talking. Still, the luscious feel of her lips, her soft delicate voice and her breath against his lips had taken their toll… Vegeta's heart threatened to break out of his chest.

'What the hell did I just do? I'm a fool – This will haunt me for God knows how long.' He thought.

He went to his own bedroom to get some shut-eye, taking off his sneakers and spandex shorts, socks and wristbands, which he threw in the laundry hamper beside his bed. He then went to take a shower, before drying himself and putting on a pair of loose knee-level red boxers and plopping himself on the bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: That feeling

It was the next morning and Vegeta had barely gotten any sleep in the night. His thoughts were constantly focused on his blue-haired hostess and what he did to her.

Why did he do that? During his sleep he contemplated that thought over and over again and eventually he had no choice but to face the truth. He longed for her, he wanted her… he wanted her badly. But how could he do that? It would be dishonorable to copulate with her without mating her first (A/N: I emulated that idea from other fan-fictions, as well as scenting and a few others), but mating was forbidden with members of other races. He knew from yesterday evening that she did desire him, at least on a physical level, and that she had broken up with the scar-faced warrior, but he could not violate sacred Saiyan tradition, could he? All the female Saiyans were dead, so what choice did he have but to mate with an outsider? Real question was, even if there were a female Saiyan or two, would he choose them over the blue-haired woman? The desire and care he felt for her was stronger than he'd felt for anyone else in his entire life. She mesmerized him, in every way. He didn't want anyone else, just her. But he didn't want to hurt her either. Being with him would be dangerous for her and he refused to open up any possibility of harm coming her way. He would have to forget her, but he couldn't stand the idea of any other man having her – it infuriated him even thinking about it.

These questions were eating away at him and he needed an out.

"Vegeta, wake up, I'm making breakfast." Bulma called out from outside his room.

After hearing no reply, she spoke again…

"Hey … you in there 'Geta?"

"Yes, I'm getting up. Now leave!" He yelled.

"Alright, you ingrate!" She yelled back. God, the Vegeta she dreamed about the night before, was nothing like this. He was kind, gentle and caring. Then again, he too showed those traits when he comforted her yesterday evening. She was still startled by how she had no recollection of what happened between the time she and Vegeta were reaching the end of the film and the time she had went to get some sleep… It truly had been a long day, was her only guess.

Vegeta got dressed up, removing his boxers, putting on a pair of navy blue spandex shorts he pulled out of his cupboard, putting on his white sneakers over a pair of short white socks and wearing new wrist bands and tying a white bandana on his forehead.

He went downstairs to the kitchen and saw Bulma still dressed in the clothes she wore the previous night.

She looked in his direction when he was a few feet away. She began appraising him in a manner she never had before. Usually she would turn her attention away and sometimes, not bother looking when she knew he was there, but this time she continued to observe him scrupulously, from those tense muscles on his legs, to the well-defined abs, those finely-toned pectoral muscles, those muscular arms, that handsome face and that awesome fiery mane of hair.

"What are you gawking at?!" Vegeta snarled, when he saw her unknowingly licking her lips.

Bulma blushed deeply.

"U-Uh… n-nothing, s-s-sorry." She muttered more embarrassed than ever before. "B-breakfast's r-r-ready."

She strode over to the kitchen table and took some time catching her breath, before grabbing some of the food she prepared and bringing it to the dining table. She was now cool, calm and collected.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Bulma asked, "Take a seat, your highness."

Vegeta growled at her and then went over and took his seat. He found the aromas to be unusually enticing this time around. He wondered why. Oh well, whatever the case, he wasn't complaining.

Bulma noticed that he was waiting for her to get seated before beginning his meal.

'What a gentleman… It's kind of like a Prince waiting for his Princess…'

Bulma slapped herself mentally for thinking that. Where the hell did that thought come from? A blush formed on her face again and she turned around, trying to hide it from Vegeta.

"Would you hurry it up, slowpoke?!" Vegeta groused.

"S-Sorry."

Vegeta was getting uncomfortable with her constant stuttering. Did she desire him that bad? He wondered if she desired him more than he desired her. He had to forget about those thoughts. The moment he finished breakfast, he would leave and head to the gravity chamber to train intensely. It was the one thing he needed more than ever. He wasted away too much time yesterday contemplating thoughts of the blue-haired woman and needed an out, which training would provide. He would have to risk training hard, despite his mental state. If he continued to avoid training, his inner turmoil would only grow further and further and he would get exactly nowhere.

Bulma brought the last of the dishes to the table and sat down next to Vegeta.

"Okay, let's eat then." She beamed at the Prince.

That was his cue. He began attacking his meal like a lion and finished extremely quickly. Bulma, meanwhile, was slowly eating hers and saw him get up. A sudden feeling of apprehension came over her. She didn't know why.

"Wait, Vegeta…" She said worriedly.

He turned to look at her.

"Make it quick." He groused.

"Just… please… be careful." She said pleadingly, a look of deep concern etched on her face. Vegeta recognised that look, it was the same look she had when he first blew up the gravity chamber whilst inside. She reprimanded him and when she saw him collapse on his back, rushed over to his side and held him up, demanding that he stop torturing himself. Then later on, he saw her asleep in her room, resting her head on the desk by his side, that same look of concern ingrained on her beautiful sleeping face. It was irritating him.

"Stop you're senseless worrying, woman." He turned around to go outside. A sudden feeling of horror came over her, as images of Vegeta's lifeless body flashed through her mind. It broke her heart and she didn't know how to explain it. She ran after him in desperation. She didn't know what came over her as she jumped at him, embracing him from behind with her arms around his neck and her face next to his. She feared the worst for Vegeta. She wanted him to be safe - she wanted him to be by her side and didn't want to lose him. She would not lose him.

Vegeta's eyes widened and he was frozen stiff. He felt the warmth of her body against his back and her face next to his own.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" He demanded, he could barely move. He wanted to shove her off him, but couldn't. Her touch was much too overwhelming for him. He could smell her tears as they threatened to escape. What on earth came over her?

"Please… just be okay…" She whispered, "Promise me you'll be okay."

"Shut-up! Let go of me!" He ordered. What was up with her? Why was she acting so irrational for?

"No!" She exclaimed, a few tears escaping her eyes. She then whispered, "Not until you promise me Vegeta…"

Vegeta tried to get her off, but still couldn't. His body wasn't responding to his mind. The softness of her voice, the feel of her body, the tears in her eyes and her breath on his ear as she spoke made him as limp as a dead fish. After a while he spoke.

"Fine, whatever…" He groused, "Now get the hell of me, woman!"

Bulma sniffled and rubbed her face against his for a while, before finally letting go, slowly. The feel of her face rubbing against his was sensational for Vegeta to say the least. It sent jolts of electricity down his entire being.

He turned around to see tears drooping her beautiful face and her lips quivering.

"Woman…" He said taking on a concerned expression, then soon afterwards snarling, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Bulma jumped at the sudden harshness of his tone, but soon afterwards her expression returned to one ingrained in anxiety and sorrow. She replied slowly.

"S-Sorry, V-Vegeta… I… I just… have a bad f-feeling." She replied despondently, looking down at the floor, more tears falling from her eyes. "I don't want… I don't want to lose you. I… I can't live without you, V-"

Before either of them knew it, Vegeta held Bulma in a strong and passionate embrace, having no clue what overcame him. Bulma's suddenly stop speaking and gasped, her eyes widened and her body stiffened. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting so irrationally? Was he trying to console her? She didn't know. All she knew was that his warm embrace provided her with a comfort she could not describe, one she'd never felt before and one only he could provide. And she never wanted him to let go.

An unfamiliar feeling was soaring within her. It took a short while for her to realize that it was love, true love, not the silly childish infatuation she had felt with Yamcha, nor the occasional crushes she had on Goku. It hit her harder than a rock – she loved Vegeta. He was the man she wanted, the only man she could or would ever truly love.

"I'll be fine… woman." He whispered in her ear, then removed his arms, turned around and headed to the gravity chamber.

Bulma watched him leave, before heading to the living room, where she sat on the couch, placing her hand on her fluttering heart. The apprehension she was feeling was rising and there was nothing she could do about it. He gave her his word, wasn't that enough? If so, why was this feeling only growing stronger? She had to do something, but what? She couldn't tell him to stop training. That didn't make sense and he wouldn't listen anyway.

~~~~


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Disaster

As Vegeta was training at 500Gs, something was clawing away at him from the inside and he knew exactly what it was – the woman, the woman he wanted, the woman who wanted him. But he couldn't take her. He refused to take her. She had her flaws, there was no doubt about that, but she was still innocent, pure-hearted, kind, gentle and beautiful. He was the scum of the Universe, a heartless murderer and a hate-filled, self-absorbed villain. He refused to mix his cursed blood with her pure blood. But what could he do? She was constantly fueling his desire for her with her kindness, compassion, care, smile, those azure eyes of hers and that gentle, passionate embrace that electrocuted his entire being and made him stiffen like never before. She was making him lose control. He just wished he could kill her and be rid of all his worries and feelings. But he couldn't.

He laughed wryly. The situation was so paradoxical: her actions made him want to hate her more and more, but all they really did was make him want to feel her touch again, to kiss her and to take her – all they did was make his fondness, protectiveness and care for her heighten further and further.

It was entirely his fault. He put himself in this situation by unintentionally telling her that he liked her. At the time, he didn't knew it himself, but now he was certain of it.

The thoughts of her crying and pleading with him to be careful were eating away at him from the inside. He couldn't stop them. They kept jamming into his brain. Her embrace, his embrace and her words 'I can't live without you' kept resonating inside him, making him deaf to everything else on the outside, until a Ki blast, deflected from a bot hit him square in the chest causing him to collapse.

That was it. He couldn't take it any longer. He needed release. He needed to take the rage bottled up inside of him out, on something, anything. He needed to do it now.

In a fiery burst of rage, he stood on his feet, back straightened, elbows bent and fists by his sides - he released a gigantic wave of energy all at once.

"HHHHAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH" He roared extremely loud.

Bulma's worst fears came to pass, as she heard an explosion that shook the very foundations of the compound, an explosion louder than any she had ever heard before. Her heart wrenched and she dashed out of the compound as fast as she could, tears rapidly falling out of her eyes.

"Vegeta!" She yelled out as loud as she could, but could barely speak, her voice was just too hoarse.

Her worst fears were realized, as she saw nothing but rubble, where the gravity chamber once stood. Just when she had found out how true love felt and found the man she truly loved, more than anything, he was taken away from her. She couldn't see Vegeta anywhere near the site. Was she truly so cursed – to feel something that filled every hole inside her, took away all her loneliness and desperation, provided her indescribable comfort and happiness and made her feel safe, secure and protected, only to have it ripped away from her, moments later.

'No, I'm not going to give up. I refuse to believe it. He's alive. He has to be… He has to be.' She mentally told herself, her thoughts filled with dread and melancholy, as rivulets of tears continued to fall down her beautiful face.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Hope

She kept digging and digging, till she discovered a fiery mane of hair sticking out. She continued lifting up the rubble, until Vegeta was completely free. Her heart was being crushed seeing him this way. She was glad he was somehow still in one piece, but was he alive?

She put her conjoined index and middle fingers below his neck and could feel a very faint pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief, but she knew she shouldn't get her hopes up. Upon seeing the tarnished condition of his body, all the wounds, lacerations, bruises and broken bones coupled with the faint pulse, she knew he could die at any moment. She could and would not allow it to happen. She loved him. She wanted him. She needed him. She was unable to move him though. She needed help.

She ran into the house, dashed upstairs, found her cell-phone, dialed the number for the 'Son-residence' and immediately pressed the call button, before running back downstairs towards Vegeta. A few rings later, an answer came.

"Hell-"

"CHI-CHI, PLEASE GET GOKU ON THE LINE, QUICK, ITS URGENT!" Bulma yelled, completely desperate.

Chi-Chi yelped and flinched away from the phone. It seems her unofficial record for the world's biggest loudmouth may have been beaten.

"O-okay, j-just a m-m-minu-"

"NOW!"

Chi-Chi jerked her head away at her second outburst, which was even louder than the first. What on Earth had overcome her? Now she was sure of it… Bulma had managed to shout louder than she herself ever had. She didn't respond, instead running into the kitchen to get Goku on the line as soon as possible. She'd rather not lose her hearing at such a young age. Chi-Chi had never stuttered before in her life, at least not out of fear, just anger. This was a first. What would drive Bulma to such a boiling point? Did something happen? Well, she'd find out sooner or later, but for now she had to get Goku on the line to calm down her blue-haired friend.

"Hiya, B-"

"GOKU QUICK, GET HERE NOW!"

By now Bulma was a few feet away from Vegeta.

Goku jerked his head away, just like Chi-Chi had. He'd never heard such a deafening sound his entire life and given his partner in life, that was saying a lot.

"W-what hap-"

"JUST HURRY UP! THERE'S NO TIME!"

Goku panicked at the sound of her voice. She'd never sounded so desperate and in need of help. Thus, without warning, he put his conjoined index and forefinger to his forehead and disappeared, before reappearing in front of Bulma. What he saw startled him, but at the same time he wasn't surprised. After all, Trunks had told him that Bulma and Vegeta were supposed to fall for one another eventually. Vegeta's head was on Bulma's lap and she was pressing her palm on his cheek, her face drenched in tears. She was holding the cell-phone on her other hand to her ear.

"Bulma?"

"Goku, quick, get him to the infirmary!" She exclaimed, closing the cell-phone and putting it in her pocket, when she realized that he had come.

"Sure thing Bulma, but would you mind telling me wh-"

"NOT NOW, THERE'S NO TIME, HE COULD DIE ANY MINUTE!"

Goku could see the panic in her eyes and so quickly went and lifted Vegeta onto his shoulder, making his way the infirmary with Bulma following close behind. He knew the compound back to front. After all, he'd known Bulma longer than anyone else in the gang and vice-versa.

A few moments later Vegeta was lying on the hospital bed, hooked up to his vitals. Bulma began wiping the blood off his lacerations, while Goku looked on. She looked back to her old friend and finally spoke.

"Thanks a lot Goku, I don't know what I would've done without you…" She said, tears still staining her face. "Its okay, Goku, you can go back now, I'll take care of him from here."

"Its no problem, Bulma." Replied Goku, smiling at her, "I'll be back to check up on you in an hour okay… You can tell me what happened then."

"Thanks Goku, I really appreciate it." Said Bulma, smiling back at her best friend "You've always been there for me, when I needed it the most."

"And I always will be, Bulma. You know you can always count on me. I'll see you soon." He said before again using his 'instant transmission' to disappear and return back to his home in Mount Paozu.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Trust

~~~~

"GOKU, JUST WHAT THE WORLD IS GOING ON?!" Chi-Chi yelled, angered by his sudden act of disappearance.

Goku jumped at the sound of her voice right behind him.

"Relax Chi-Chi," Goku said, "Bulma wanted me to come over and help her, cause something bad happened."

"WHAT COULD BE SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAD TO LEAVE YOUR FAMILY IN THE MIDDLE OF BREAKFAST?!"

"Chi-Chi, please," Goku said pleadingly, raising his hands defensively, "Vegeta was badly wounded. It looks like he blew up the gravity chamber again, while he was training. He was barely alive and Bulma couldn't move him, so she needed my help."

"Oh, okay…" She said, after pausing for a moment, before sighing and continuing speaking with venom in her voice, "That Vegeta, he's nothing but trouble… If you ask me, we should just get rid of him now before he gets rid of us."

Goku narrowed his eyes at his wife.

"Chi-Chi, I'd never do something so dishonorable." Said Goku, pausing for a while, before telling her, "I don't know if Gohan's told you, but Vegeta did save his life on Namek… more than once. He saved mine too. If it wasn't for his help, we'd all be dead."

Chi-Chi gasped, her eyes widened at the revelation. She never knew that. All she knew was that Vegeta had tried to kill Goku and left him and Gohan as well as the others badly wounded and that he'd killed 4 of the Z-fighters, albeit indirectly.

"I never knew… Goku."

"Chi-Chi, I spared his life for a reason." Goku said, "Piccolo changed, and I think he can too… I think he's already changing… Did you know Bulma was in tears and rested Vegeta's head on her lap?"

Chi-Chi gasped again, more deeply than before.

"B-But… why would she do that?"

"She cares about him… a lot." Goku answered, "I think she sees it too… what I saw, when I begged Krillin to spare his life."

Chi-Chi contemplated what she'd heard for a moment.

"I don't know Goku." She said, "You really think someone like Vegeta can change?"

"I'm sure of it." He affirmed, before continuing, "He might need a little push in the right direction and I think Bulma can help him with that."

"Well, your instincts have never been wrong in that regard." Said Chi-Chi, "I hope your right Goku. It is a big gamble."

"Yeah, I guess so, but I'm sure it'll pay off big time." Said Goku, "One way or another, I know he'll be of utmost importance in our battle against the androids."

"Well… I hope all goes well, Goku."

Goku just remembered.

"Oh, by the way, Chi-Chi," Goku said, a strong hint of anxiety entrenched in his voice, in anticipation of the worst, "I told Bulma I'd return in an hour to check up on her and Vegeta… so… please don't be mad."

"WHAT?! NO WAY! I HARDLY GET TO SEE YOU WITH ALL YOUR TRAINING AND NOW YOU WANT TO DISAPPEAR AGAIN?! FOR WHAT?!"

Goku closed one eye and held his hands on his ears and after a few moments answered.

"I'm sorry Chi-Chi, but I made a promise…" Said Goku and then smiled warmly, "I just want to know the details and I'll fill you in on everything when I get back, okay?"

Chi-Chi's mood softened when Goku said that. He sure new how to lighten her up.

"Fine." She sighed after a moment and then smiled at him, "Go ahead you big lug."

Goku moved towards her and held her in a warm embrace for a few moments. She loved his feel. He then kissed her lips softly and returned to the breakfast table to finish his meal alongside Gohan. Piccolo was outside meditating, but with his superior Namek hearing, he'd heard about what had taken place.

'I just hope we're not making a huge mistake in trusting Vegeta.' Thought the Namekian warrior. He, like Goku, knew what would happen between Bulma and Vegeta, but he couldn't help but wonder if that would be enough to make him completely abandon his previous ways. He strongly believed so, but a part of him was still suspicious of the Saiyan Prince.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Discovery

~~~~

Bulma had cleaned up the blood on Vegeta's lacerations and sutured them up. She then tended to his bruises and applied bandages and casts to his broken bones, where appropriate. One hour had just about passed.

She saw that his heart rate had shown improvement and took a sigh of relief. By the looks of it, he would eventually be okay, but she couldn't be certain. His injuries were greater than the last time he'd blown up the gravity chamber, but this time he was stronger. She was hopeful that he'd survive. He barely made it when it happened before, but he still did. He just had to make it this time. She placed a chair on the side of his bed and sat on it.

"Please, don't die Vegeta… I'll never forgive myself." She stroked his feathery mane of hair and was surprised by its soft and pleasant texture. It felt amazing, to say the least. She smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I love you."

Unbeknownst to Bulma, Goku had appeared before her moments earlier and had seen and heard everything.

"Bulma?" Spoke a puzzled Goku, surprised at how fast it was all happening. They shouldn't have fallen for each other just yet.

Bulma gasped and turned to face him, a wide blush on her cheek. She quickly shifted her face towards Vegeta to hide her blush.

"Goku?"

A short moment of silence followed before Bulma found her voice again.

"You… saw me? You… heard me?" Bulma asked, slowly turning her face towards him.

Goku simply nodded his head in the affirmative.

Bulma quickly turned her face in Vegeta's direction, her head bowed down, facing the ground, in embarrassment.

Goku walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey… its okay, Bulma." Said Goku softly, "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Bulma was stunned at his response, but then that was Goku for you. He never knew any better, or did he?

"You… you really mean it?"

"Of course." Goku said, lifting his hand off her shoulder, but then a thought suddenly hit him. "But… what about Yamch-"

"I don't want to talk about that double-crossing asshole, Goku!"

"Oh, so you and him-"

"Yes! We're over… for good!"

"Oh." Goku said. He was more confused than ever.

"I didn't think it would happen so soon." Goku murmured to himself, but Bulma had heard him.

"You didn't think what would happen so soon?" She asked.

Goku mentally cursed himself for having for having let that little piece of information escape his big mouth. He remained silent for a while, before Bulma narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Goku… Explain yourself." Bulma ordered, in a silent, suspicious tone.

"W-W-What do y-y-you m-m-mean?"

"You know what I mean Goku!" She exclaimed, "You said: 'I didn't think it would happen so soon.' What did you mean by that?"

Goku sighed. He knew he couldn't outsmart Bulma. That was the one realm where she easily surpassed everyone. Instead he decided to give her a half-truth, after collecting himself. He wouldn't tell Bulma about Trunks' revelation, he made a promise and he always kept his promises.

"Well, you see… I kind of had a feeling that you and Yamcha would eventually go your separate ways…" He explained, "I just didn't think it would happen this soon."

"Oh… And what made you think that?" Bulma asked, curious. Goku had never exactly been famous for his insight before and now, all of a sudden, he was able to predict that her former relationship with Yamcha was a doomed one?

"I've kind of had that feeling for a while actually, what with the two of you breaking up and getting back together on a regular basis. I just didn't really believe he was the right one for you." Goku elucidated… Even though he had believed that Bulma would end up marrying Yamcha, he took time to consider their relationship more in depth after Trunks' revelation…

Bulma sighed.

"Maybe you should've told me Goku."

"Would you really have wanted me to tell you that?" Goku asked in a more serious tone, "It would've hurt you."

"Yeah, I guess you're right Goku." Bulma said, "But I don't think it would've hurt as much as finding out that Yamcha was dating someone else, while dating me."

Goku contemplated for a while.

"You wouldn't have listened Bulma and like I said, it would've done nothing but hurt you and your faith in me."

Bulma thought for a while.

"Yeah, that's true, I probably wouldn't have listened." Bulma agreed, "I can't believe I was foolish enough to have 'fallen' for someone like that."

"Its okay Bulma." Goku tried to uplift her spirits, "We all make mistakes."

"Forget about it Goku." Bulma said, "I'm not bothered about him anymore. He means nothing to me now. I don't even know if I can be friends with him again, after what he's done."

"Bulma, don't talk like that." Goku said, speaking in a more serious tone yet again, "He may have his flaws, but he's still one of us. He's a Z-fighter. You shouldn't hate him. I'm not telling you to get back in a relationship with him again but abandoning him altogether, just isn't the way to go Bulma."

Bulma mused for a moment before replying.

"Maybe you're right Goku." She sighed, "I may forgive him someday… but I just don't want to think about him right now."

"That's fine Bulma." Goku agreed, "By the way, how's Vegeta doing?"

Bulma turned her attention back to Vegeta and placed a hand on his chest, no longer ashamed of her actions. She could trust Goku. He was the one person who wouldn't reprimand her, judge her or condemn her actions or affection for the man she loved. That's why he was her best friend. He always preserved that innocence of his since his boyhood. He always believed in others and believed in second-chances. He was kind, gentle, merciful, content, carefree and at the same time extremely powerful and talented.

"He's never been in worse shape." Bulma sighed dejectedly, "But I know he'll pull through. He's much stronger than he ever was."

Bulma was stroking her thumb on his chest, feeling his finely tone muscle.

"So what exactly happened Bulma?" Goku asked, "I heard you say that you'd never forgive yourself… What did you mean by that?"

Bulma froze for a moment.

"Bulma?"

"I… I… I don't know how to say it." Bulma said, disheartened, a few tears escaping her eyes.

"Say what, Bulma?" Asked Goku. He had to get her to spill the beans. She needed someone to talk to. She couldn't keep such guilt bottled up inside her. It would eat away at her and he wouldn't let that happen.

Bulma's face fell on Vegeta's chest and the tears began flooding from her eyes, all over his bare chest. She began sobbing against his unconscious body and Goku could see the extreme state of discomfort she was in.

He placed a hand on her back and spoke.

"Bulma, you can't keep suppressing it." Goku said, a strong element of concern encompassing his voice, "It's going to tear you apart from inside… Please tell me."

Bulma continued sobbing and the tears kept rolling down her face and onto Vegeta's chest.

"I love him Goku, I can't tell you how much I love him." Bulma sobbed, letting out tears, her face still pressed against Vegeta's chest, "I've never felt that way for anyone. When I'm with him I feel safe, warm and secure. I feel like nothing can ever hurt me. He means everything to me. I can't live without him and now he might die and it's all my fault."

"Bulma, please tell me…" Goku said pleadingly, "You have to tell me. Why do you think it's your fault?"

"I knew this was going to happen." She confessed, still sobbing, "Somehow I knew it would happen before he went to the gravity room. I tried my best to warn him and I made him promise that he'd stay safe and now look what's happened. I should've stopped him… I should've done whatever I could to stop him."

Goku felt a sense of 'déjà vu'. After a short pause, he spoke.

"You know Bulma," Goku began, "I felt the exact same thing after the twenty-second World Martial Arts Tournament all those years ago, right before Krillin died. I had that same bad feeling, but I didn't even warn him, I just tried shrugging off the feeling that kept nagging at me, until it was too late. At least you warned Vegeta. You did the best you could. And you couldn't have stopped him from training no matter how hard you tried... Bulma, you can't blame yourself for this… It's not your fault."

Bulma continued sobbing for a few seconds, before contemplating Goku's words. She tilted her face towards her best friend, head still on Vegeta's chest.

"Then why do I feel responsible? Why do I feel guilty?" She asked, completely disheartened.

"Its natural to feel guilty Bulma." Said Goku, smiling at her, "You're a good person and you put too much on your shoulders, that's all… Look, you can't keep beating yourself up like this… And besides, Vegeta will be fine. I'm sure of it… and then, the two of you can live happily together."

That last statement of Goku's sent jolts of electricity through her. Living together with Vegeta is all she could ever want. But the real question is, would he want that? Did he love her? He knew he cared for her, would never hurt her and he even confessed to liking her, but did he love her? She wanted to believe so. It would be enthralling to her. She turned to face Goku.

"Goku… Do you really believe we can be… together?" She asked, a look of disbelief mingled with hope, etched on her face.

"I do, Bulma… I'm sure of it."

"How?"

"I just am."

"But… do you think he… loves me?"

"I don't know Bulma, it's hard to tell." Goku admitted, lifting his hand off her back, "Vegeta's not the type to openly display affection… but from what you've told me, I think that deep inside, he might feel that way."

"What do you mean, 'what I've told you'?"

"Well, you said you made him promise not to hurt himself." Goku explained, "He never talks like that with anyone… What's more, you said you felt safe and comfortable with him. How could you possibly feel that way, if he didn't show you some form of affection?"

Bulma mused for a moment.

"Yeah… I never thought about it that way." Bulma confessed, "He does care about me and he would never hurt me, I know that for a fact. He respects me, he told me he liked me and even comforted me when I was depressed after finding out the truth about Yamcha."

Bulma had said too much… Perhaps she shouldn't have. She knew she could trust Goku, but what would Vegeta think if he'd learned of this? She couldn't let him know and she'd make sure to keep her mouth closed before anything else spilled out.

Goku took a few moments to take it all in. He was completely taken aback by what he'd just learned.

"Vegeta… really did all that?" Goku said, that stupefied look still etched across his face.

Bulma nodded her head in affirmative.

A few moments passed before Goku spoke.

"In all honesty Bulma, I think he does love you… deep down, anyway." Goku admitted, "He may never admit it, given his pride and everything… but you'll still be able to tell."

Bulma smiled at him and paused for a moment before speaking.

"Goku, please promise me you won't tell anyone…" Bulma pleaded, "Its not that I'm embarrassed or anything, its just that I don't think the timing's right and I don't know for sure if he wants the same thing, so…"

Goku put a hand on her shoulder, before replying.

"You have my word Bulma."

Bulma's spirits were higher than ever before.

"Thanks Goku." Bulma said, smiling at him, "Thanks for everything… You'll always be my best friend."

"And you'll always be mine too…" Goku said, smiling back, "I have to go now Bulma, Chi-Chi might kill me if I stay any longer."

Bulma laughed a little, preserving her beautiful smile. She watched as Goku put his conjoined index and middle finger on his forehead and vanished from the spot.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Awakening

More than a week had passed by since Vegeta's injuries. Bulma's parents had long since returned home, but Vegeta still wouldn't regain consciousness. His wounds were healing, but he still wasn't awake yet.

The elder Briefs were worried sick about their daughter. She would spend all day beside Vegeta, tending to him or sitting next to him, reading a book or a magazine or finding some other way to entertain herself. She even brought her clothes from her cupboard and her laundry hamper to Vegeta's room in the hospital. She didn't focus on work. She didn't care about it at all. Her duties as vice-president of Capsule Corporation be damned - Vegeta took precedence – she put him before anything and everything.

It was Tuesday night. Bulma, as usual, was sitting on the chair next to Vegeta's bed and slept with her head on his bare chest, after elevating it to a suitable position. Vegeta woke up that night and felt the blue-haired woman breathing steadily against his chest. Despite his condition, he felt jolts of electricity making their way through his entire being. Even in this state, she was haunting him. But he couldn't wake her up - it just wasn't in him to do that. He let her continue sleeping against him, instead opting to get some shut-eye himself.

He quickly learned that her proximity wasn't as terrible as he initially thought. It did help him relax. He placed a hand on the side of her face, stroking his thumb against her cheek.

"Vegeta." She mumbled, smiling.

He froze and looked at her, but then realized that once again she was sleep talking. He could feel her smile against his chest and it warmed him even further. He was able to relax and finally get some rest, while keeping his hand on her head.

The next morning Bulma woke up and felt a strong calloused hand resting on her cheek.

"Vegeta?" She mumbled, gleaming with hope.

She got up and looked at him, but found him still sleeping. She could tell that he was no longer unconscious, just asleep. He must've subconsciously moved his hand on her face during the night.

It made her smile and she tilted her position and kissed him in the chest, before lifting her face up and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. She was beaming with joy. She knew he would wake up soon. She just knew it.

She got up and went inside the bathroom on the side. She had moved some of the necessary utilities there for herself and Vegeta. After washing her face and scrubbing her teeth, she left the room to get him some food for the grand awakening.

~~~~

About thirty seconds after she'd left the room, Vegeta's eyes opened and he got up from his spot. He then stepped out of the bed. He was wearing only a pair of spandex shorts with bandages no longer on his body. The casts were removed from their locations two days ago, replaced just by bandages, his broken bones having healed rapidly – but it was no surprise, his unique Saiyan physiology really sped the recovery process.

He sniffed the room for a moment. He could smell the blue-haired woman's scent everywhere. It was intoxicating for him, to say the least. He then looked around and noticed the woman's laundry hamper in his room, with a pile of her dirty clothes and also noticed three large boxes each containing clean sets of her clothing.

'How long was I out for? Did she settle herself here the whole time?'

He hated the idea of her doing that, just for his sake, but he knew it now more than ever. She was drawn deeply to him and he didn't know just how deep. Was there even a limit to it? He didn't know, but something inside him told him there wasn't. She told him herself that she couldn't live without him.

That was when he remembered. She was warning him and telling him to stay safe. But he paid it no mind at the time - thoughts of her kept niggling at his mind and then slowly occupying it, until he went over-board.

But how was she able to anticipate the danger he was in? Somehow she just knew something terrible would happen but he disregarded her completely. She even went as far as throwing herself at him just to make him promise that he wouldn't hurt himself and even shedding tears.

She was the one for him. He would have to take her as his mate. He wanted her. He needed her. But could he really do it? Could he put her in such danger? Would he be willing to violate her pure blood by mixing it with his demonic blood?

As he was asking himself those questions, he went to the bathroom nearby. He washed his face and opened the vanity cupboard, seeing two toothbrushes inside, one with her scent and the other, he recognised as his own. There was a toothpaste packet next to it. She'd gone through everything just for his sake. Why did she care for him so deeply? He scrubbed his teeth and after finishing, went outside the room, near his bed, still standing and looking around, observing the room and sniffing that sweet scent of hers.

Just then, she walked into the room. Her hair was straightened and she was wearing a short, silk, knee-level hot pink sleep dress. He turned in her direction immediately and saw her holding a tray of what looked like hospital food. He'd tasted that muck before and loathed it.

She gasped when she saw him up from his bed.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Acceptance

"Vegeta… You can't be up right now… it's not… safe." She said worriedly, placing the tray on a side table. As she turned back to face him, she found herself in a warm embrace and gasped again. She was as stiff as ice and yet she felt as though she were engulfed in flame. Her lips were touching the firm muscles on his right shoulder and he placed his left hand on the back of her head, his other hand holding her behind the waist firmly. How could he move that quickly in his condition? (A/N: Inspired by the following fan-art: art/close-07-05-10-163266295).

"V-V-Vegeta?" She whispered softly.

He loved the feel of her lips, as she spoke and breathed against his shoulder. It sent a tingling sensation throughout his body.

"V-Vegeta, p-p-please… you have to r-r-return to bed." Bulma pleaded, whispering softly, "Y-You're in n-no condition t-to be up r-r-right n-now."

Vegeta rubbed his cheek against her for a short while, causing her to tingle even more. He took a deep breath and buried his face in the crook of her neck, moving his nose around, sniffing along her neck, jawline and lips. He could smell her fear, but it was a different kind of fear. She wasn't afraid of him, she was afraid for him. A part of him was pleased at this.

She felt slightly tickled at his antics, but wasn't in any mood to be laughing. Although worried, the close proximity to him was burning her from inside. His body was firmly pressed against hers. She could feel every part of him against her and it renewed that feeling of warmth, comfort, protection and security and increased it tenfold. What had gotten into him to display such affection towards her? She didn't know, but she loved the feel of his body. She wanted him. She wanted the man she loved to be hers…

Vegeta kissed her temple and made his way down her face, leaving a trail of kisses in his path, which caused her to gasp. He began kissing her cheek and downwards till he reached the side of her neck. She was absolutely stunned at his actions. He continued kissing her around the neck and then along the jawline. She was absolutely frozen stiff. She never imagined such a display of passion from him. She loved the surprisingly soft feel of his lips. She knew about it, since she had kissed them every night and every morning, while he was still unconscious. But it surprised her every-time and now was no different. She was enthralled beyond description. She'd never felt so much desire all her life.

He moved his forehead against hers, so their noses were adjacent and their lips were close together. He closed his eyes as he spoke.

"You worry about me too much… woman." He whispered, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke. He then gently pressed his lips to hers, kissing her several times, slowly.

Her eyes widened and she felt as if she had just died and went to heaven. She dreamt of him behaving in such a gentle manner towards her and kissing her lips, but it felt far greater in real life. It was a sensation beyond anything she could ever have imagined and she loved it… she loved him.

He continued kissing her lips, before she collected herself and kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck, tears glistening her eyes.

Vegeta smirked, loving the feel of her lips against his, but then he smelled the tears in her eyes and pulled his head back.

Bulma was extremely disappointed by his move. Why had he done that? She was enjoying herself. She was burning with desire and she wanted, no needed, his touch.

"Why're you crying, woman?!" He berated.

Bulma then realized what was wrong. She smiled warmly at him and replied.

"I'm just really happy to see you up Vegeta… that's all."

"Then why cry about it, foolish woman?!" He groused

She giggled and moved her face to the crook of his neck, kissing him there, like he did her.

"Well you see… kiss… humans-beings… kiss… cry… kiss… for different reasons… kiss kiss." She continued kissing him around the neck and then along his jawline as he did her. She then pressed her lips against his, their foreheads touching and noses adjacent as she continued explaining, eyes closed, whilst steadily kissing. "Sometimes… kiss… we cry… kiss… when we're… kiss… sad... kiss kiss… other times… kiss… when… kiss… we're happy… kiss kiss kiss."

Every time Bulma would kiss his lips, he'd kiss back. After a few moments, Vegeta emulated her move, replying and kissing in a likewise, slow and steady, manner, while pressing his lips against her and talking.

"Sounds… kiss kiss kiss… kind of… kiss… stupid… kiss kiss… if you ask… kiss kiss kiss kiss… me… kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss."

Bulma responded in kind each time he kissed her. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted nothing more than to jump his bones on the spot… But she knew she couldn't. He was in no condition for that, which reminded her…

"Vegeta… kiss kiss… I think… kiss kiss kiss… you… kiss… should… kiss kiss… go to bed… kiss kiss kiss… now… kiss kiss kiss kiss."

"What… kiss kiss… for… kiss kiss kiss...?"

"You're… kiss kiss… still… kiss kiss kiss… hurt… kiss kiss."

"Sure… kiss." Vegeta smirked. Bulma felt it and knew he was up to something.

In an instant she was pinned underneath Vegeta on his bed and gasped. One moment she was standing and making out with him and the next, she was underneath him.

"V-V-V-Vegeta?"

He began fondling her thighs and her hip, moving his hand back and forth up her skirt, in a slow, steady manner. He then began feeling her inner thigh, moving up to her nether region. She gasped at his behavior and moaned, his calloused hands against her soft skin felt amazing. Vegeta, too, was deeply aroused by the soft, smooth, sensational feel of her skin. He felt her intense desire burning through her.

He kissed her forehead, then began kissing and sucking on her nose for a little while, causing her to giggle a little. He then kissed her lips. She was deeply alarmed by the whole situation, but she couldn't push him away and wouldn't, even if she could. Her desire for him was skyrocketing with each passing moment. Soon, he kissed her chin, then her neck and made his way downwards, kissing her on the chest, before Bulma collected herself, grabbing his face with her hands and tilting it up towards her.

He narrowed his eyes, not very pleased at her move.

"Wait, Vegeta…" Bulma said worriedly, "What if someone finds us?"

Vegeta sighed inwardly. For a moment he thought that she was unsure, but realized now that her only worry was being caught.

"Embarrassed woman?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her further.

"No… Not at all." Bulma answered, "But do you really want my mom to find us like this?"

Vegeta contemplated her words for a moment. She was right. There was no way he could allow that ditzy air-headed woman to discover them. If he knew her, she'd constantly remind him and barrage the two of them with her stupid senseless sentimental garbage, every chance she had.

So Vegeta had to pull himself together. They would have to wait for the right moment.

"Its okay Vegeta." Said Bulma, before winking at him and taking on a seductive tone, "We can have our fun once you recover… My bedroom's as good a place as any."

"Vulgar woman." Vegeta said, smirking at her.

"Says the jerk who was planning to do God knows what on a hospital bed." Bulma smirked back, still pinned underneath him.

Vegeta kissed her lips. He then lay back on the bed next to her and put his arm underneath her, pulling her to his chest, so they were in a sweethearts cradle (A/N: I'm assuming the hospital bed is wide enough for the both of them).

Bulma nuzzled into his chest and took a deep breath against his finely toned muscles. Vegeta froze at her sudden move. Her luscious lips and breath felt amazing against his chest.

"I'm so glad you're alright Vegeta." Said Bulma, still nuzzled into his chest. "I was worried to death about you, you stupid jerk."

Vegeta began stroking her hair with his free hand and lifted his other arm slightly up, his conjoined index and forefingers facing the door, which was still slightly ajar. Luckily for them, no one interrupted their little make-out session.

He used his Ki to slam the door close, which startled Bulma, causing her gasp, while jumping from her spot. She faced the door. Did someone barge in on them?

Vegeta began laughing at her and she glared at him.

"That was you?!" Bulma asked, not so impressed with his action, "I can't believe you… you prick. Why would you do that?!"

"This is why." He said, smirking and looking at her face.

"What?" Bulma asked confused.

"Seeing your temper flare like that never ceases to amuse me." He answered grinning.

"You…" Bulma couldn't think of anything else to say and so just opted to forget about it. She would savor this moment with the man she loved. She simply wanted him, nothing else. Besides, she didn't mind seeing him genuinely amused and it was a lot better than him being distant and closed-off, as he always had been.

She nuzzled back into his chest smiling.

"You're such an odd woman…" Vegeta said, placing his arm back around her, "Angry one second and beaming the next."

"You're one to talk. You define the word odd…" Bulma countered, her smile leaving her, then returning and her tone softening, "But I guess that's why I like you so much."

Vegeta remained silent for a moment.

"I don't know if this is right." He said.

Bulma's smile left her and she moved her face upwards to look him in the eyes.

"What?" She asked.

"I don't know if it's right us to be-"

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't." Bulma interrupted, narrowing her eyes. "Either way, I don't care… I still want to be with you."

"Why?" Asked Vegeta, "You're good, innocent and pure… I'm evil, a monster. I've murdered billions of people and-"

"I know what you've done!" Bulma exclaimed, "It wasn't all your fault. Goku told me about what happened to you and how you were forced to commit horrible acts. But-"

"I still took pleasure in what I did." Vegeta interrupted, turning his face towards the ceiling away from her, "I took pleasure in seeing fear in the eyes of innocent people, before I snuffed out their lives… In many instances, I killed when I didn't have to, ate the flesh of my enemies and-"

"And I don't want to know about it, Vegeta!" Bulma said sternly, grabbing his face with her cupped hand and turning it back in her direction. Her expression softened and she eased her grip and put her hand on his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb, before continuing, "I love you for who you are… not who you were. I know you could've been a whole lot different, were it not for that cruel bastard Frieza. I hate him for what he did to you, for what he did to your parents, your people and everyone else whose lives he destroyed. He's dead and he's burning in hell. You're alive and that means everything to me… You mean everything to me."

Hearing those three words made Vegeta go limp. She just told him she loved him. What did that mean? He'd never known that word in his life. All he knew was hate. Love was something weak, useless and pathetic. But he could feel something inside of him for the woman, far deeper than anything he'd ever felt. Was it love? Did he love her? Was he even capable of that?

She was adamant in her belief that he was someone different now. Nothing could convince her otherwise. She accepted him, no matter what - he didn't disgust her. And she told him he meant everything to her. That was exactly how he felt about her. His mind was always jammed with thoughts of her and they would continue ramming into him, harder and harder, the more he tried getting rid of them. She drove him crazy. Did he have a similar effect on her? He must have.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Recovery

After a moment of silence he spoke.

"How long was I out, by the way?"

Bulma was confused at the sudden shift in topic, but answered anyway.

"A little over a week."

"And you settled yourself here the whole time?" Asked Vegeta.

Bulma blushed a little, before responding.

"You… knew?" She asked.

"Hn… I could smell your sweet scent all over the room and saw your clothes and hamper on the side." He replied.

"Sweet scent?" She asked, staring at him confusedly.

Now it was Vegeta's turn to blush. He shouldn't have said that. The words just came out. He quickly tried to hide his praise of her scent.

"Well… you see…" He began explaining, "Every single being in the Universe has their own unique scent. I've memorized the scents of many different beings, including yours…"

Bulma took a little while to understand what he was saying.

"Oh… I see…" She said and paused for a while before remembering his compliment and then smiling and continuing, "Wow, you're so sweet 'Geta."

"Would you shut-"

"Bulma… Where are you?" Dr. Brief asked, interrupting Vegeta, who picked up his voice with his acute auditory senses. He hadn't heard their conversations, but was approaching closer and closer.

Vegeta put his index finger to his lips, indicating for her to be quiet, though she still didn't know what was going on. He then pointed his finger to the door and used his Ki to press in the lock.

Bulma heard the clicking sound, as did the good doctor, who narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he approached the door.

"Bulma… what're you doing in there?" Dr. Brief asked just outside the door, "Why did you lock the door?"

Bulma then realized what the problem was. She began feeling apprehensive about the whole situation, but at the same time she was burning with excitement to see how Vegeta would respond.

"Stay where you are, woman." He whispered to her softly, before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. She couldn't help but smile and was eagerly anticipating his next move.

No answer. Dr. Brief sighed.

"Bulma… Whatever little game you're playing, it ends now." Said the doctor.

Bulma was snickering softly.

Still no answer.

"I can pick locks you know… Either you answer me or I come inside." Dr. Brief warned.

Bulma panicked.

"Go away, old man!" Vegeta yelled, not too loudly.

Dr. Brief was awe-struck. His macho voice caused Bulma's desire to rise, though she didn't like him speaking to her father so crudely – but then that's who Vegeta was: an arrogant jerk and she loved him for who he was.

"V-V-Vegeta… Y-You're awake?" A stunned Dr. Brief asked.

"No… I'm obviously asleep." He replied sarcastically.

Bulma was about to giggle but Vegeta moved her head towards his chest, to silence her. She felt electricity jolt down her body and stiffened. He sure knew how to shut her up.

"Oh well… Err… Do you know where Bulma is?" Asked the doctor.

"Find her yourself!"

Bulma was snickering against his chest. Who knew he had it in him to handle a situation like this so well?

"Uh… Sure… By the way, is there… uh… anything I can do for you?" Asked the good doctor.

"The woman will give me whatever I need!" He exclaimed, immediately whispering to her seductively. "Won't you?"

His words sent tingles down Bulma's spine. She was finding it harder and harder to suppress her laughter and desire. Vegeta was just too much. Noticing how hard she was trying not to give them away, Vegeta nuzzled her head into his chest deeper, causing her to slightly gasp. She could feel the firmness of his chest muscles and it made her burn from inside. It was as if he was made of steel.

"Oh… Okay… I guess I'll leave you alone then." Said Dr. Brief.

"Good… By the way, I need you to repair my gravity chamber, got it?!" Vegeta exclaimed.

"Uh… Sure thing, son. I'll get to it as soon as I find B-"

"NOW!"

Bulma tried jumping at the sudden harshness of his tone, which resonated into her, through his chest, but he maintained his firm grip on her, taking utmost care not to hurt her in any way.

"O-O-O-Okay." Said Dr. Brief, who was so stupefied by his abrupt outburst that he dashed towards his lab to start working on the gravity chamber, totally forgetting about Bulma.

Vegeta waited for a few seconds until he could sense the good doctor a safe distance away and released his tight hold on Bulma.

Right after Bulma was free she burst into a hysterical fit of laughter and put her arms around Vegeta. She felt like a teenager again, being rebellious and hiding things from her parents. It had been so many years since she felt that way; she never thought she'd ever experience excitement and entertainment quite like this. She never had or would have with Yamcha or anyone else. Vegeta was just too much for her. The way he handled that situation was nothing short of amazing.

"Woman?"

Bulma continued laughing and then out of nowhere climbed on top of him, straddling his waist – she was just in too good of a mood and their positions were now reversed. Vegeta was startled by her act. He should've been angered at her, for trying to dominate him in such a manner, but he wasn't. He could feel her bare legs pressed against the sides of his torso and they felt so amazing and sensational. He placed his hands on her thighs, stroking them up and down, loving the feel of her satiny skin and warm flesh. He suddenly had the urge to kiss her soft, smooth flawless legs, suck on them and taste every inch of them.

Her arousal too was rising, but she suddenly remembered that now wasn't the time or place for sexual intimacy.

"Vegeta…" She bent her head down to his face and whispered seductively in his ear, "Meet me in my room tonight and we'll finish this…"

Vegeta stopped stroking her thighs. Bulma hopped off him, moved beside him. She moved her uplifted dress back down and he held her in a sweethearts cradle once again.

He suddenly remembered. He could not copulate with her unless they were mated. And under Saiyan tradition mating meant that they would be committed to one-another for life. He could ignore the rule prohibiting mating with outsiders, because there were no female Saiyans anyway and even if there were, she was the only woman he would ever want. But could he really do it? Could he steal her life away? How would she feel about that? He knew one thing for certain, he would not violate his honor nor would he be willing to engage in some ridiculous temporary human relationship – once a mate, always a mate – that was sacred Saiyan tradition and he would not violate it. He would tell her that. He would give her fare warning not to give herself to a demonic being like himself. If she agreed to give herself to him and he still refused, he knew he would devastate her very being. He would hurt her and he couldn't do that, plus he wanted her too. He needed her, just as she needed him. The complications were far too overwhelming for him and with each passing moment, they just became worse and worse. Nothing was clear.

They stayed their position for a while, before Vegeta remembered something else.

"Woman…" He said, "My gravity chamber… Work on it…"

"I will Vegeta…" She responded softly, smiling against his chest, "But I just want to spend some time with you right now."

Vegeta grumbled, but inside he too wanted her by his side. He loved the warmth of her flesh, her soft silky hair, her azure eyes, her elegant smile, her beautiful face, her voice, her sweet scent, her wits, her intelligence, her ingenuity, her fiery spirit and the fact that she was the one person who accepted him and didn't fear him… at all. He loved her.

'What?! How could I think like that? What's happened to me? I don't even know what love is, do I? It's a silly disgusting concept for the weak…' He pondered for a while, then thought, 'But if love is so weak, then why is Kakarot stronger than I am? And why was he able to defeat Frieza, a malicious self-absorbed murderous tyrant who knew nothing of love? Maybe Kakarot's strength comes from his need to protect those he cares about. Maybe I can catch up to his power level if I have that same purpose… I know I want to protect the woman, I want her to be safe, to be happy and for her to preserve her innocence and purity. But if I continue avoiding my desire for her, how will I protect her? Avoiding her just makes me want her more and completely clouds my mind with thoughts of her. At this rate, I won't grow any stronger… I'll only grow weaker… Perhaps I should just give in. I know it'll calm my mind and clear my vision… Perhaps I should give her what she wants… what I want.'

While Vegeta was musing, Goku suddenly appeared before them, completely taken aback by what he was seeing - Bulma and Vegeta in a sweetheart's cradle. And just over a week ago, he thought he'd seen it all.

"URRRRGGGHHHHH… KAKAROT, WHAT THE HELL?!" Vegeta was livid, immediately removing his hold on Bulma, gently moving her to the side and sitting up.

Both Goku and Bulma jumped at the cutting-edge harshness of his tone.

"Goku?" Bulma asked, embarrassed. She too sat up and began glaring daggers at her best friend.

"O-Oh, u-uh… s-s-sorry g-guys… I j-j-just w-wanted to give this t-to V-V-Vegeta." He answered apprehensively.

He pulled out a senzu bean. Vegeta narrowed his eyes and saw what he was holding. Goku threw him the bean. After Vegeta caught it, Goku placed his conjoined index and middle finger to his forehead, disappearing instantly, not wanting to face Bulma's wrath or Vegeta's for that matter. He'd never heard the surly Prince shout that loud before and wasn't exactly looking forward to hearing it again. This may well come back to bite him, hard…

"Senzu bean?" Asked Bulma.

Vegeta looked at her and nodded in the affirmative.

Bulma began beaming with glee and hugged him as tightly as possible, elated that he would finally recover and be there for her. Her sourness towards Goku had completely dissipated.

"This is great, Vegeta!" She exclaimed with utmost joy, "I'm so happy!"

"Woman!" Vegeta reprimanded, finding it difficult to breathe, since he was still injured and she was squeezing the life out of him, "Do you plan on killing me before I even have a chance to eat this damn bean?!"

Bulma let go of him and starting blushing. As she did, Vegeta was able to release a breath of relief.

"S-Sorry, V-V-Vegeta…"

Vegeta paused a while before speaking.

"I was just kidding." He said, smirking. "As if a foolish weakling like you could kill me."

"HEY!"

Vegeta chuckled and ate the senzu bean. He could feel his strength returning to him and then going beyond, far beyond what he expected. All his cuts and bruises disappeared and the damage on his bones was no more. He reached new heights he never planned on reaching any time soon. It felt amazing. How did he become so powerful? This was perfect.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Love

Bulma smiled, completely forgetting about Vegeta's previous slur. This time she sat on his lap, facing him, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her bare legs around his bare waist, in a firm embrace. Vegeta placed his arms around her waist, embracing her back. No words were spoken for a while. Then Vegeta suddenly remembered. He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pulled her back.

"That fool Kakarot saw us!" He exclaimed.

Bulma paused for a moment before responding.

"It's alright Vegeta," Bulma said, "He won't tell anyone, I made him promise."

Vegeta was confused. What did she mean by that? She never made him promise anything. He narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. She remembered that he was unconscious when the whole incident happened.

"Well… You see…" She began explaining, "He already knew that I… was… uh… drawn to you… and I… uh… made him promise not to say a thing."

Vegeta paused for a moment before speaking.

"Why would you have told him that?"

"I didn't… He just used his 'instant transmission' move, when I was with you, while you were unconscious." She explained, "He saw what I did and… heard what I said."

He narrowed his eyes at her, further.

"And what would that be?"

Bulma sighed and then spoke.

"After I finished cleaning and patching you up while you were unconscious…" She recounted, "I was stroking your hair… kissed you on the lips and… uh… told you that I… loved you... I thought I was alone, but Goku had to barge in on me a few moments before… I didn't even know he was there till he called my name."

Vegeta thought for a moment, surprised at her actions.

"You did that… Why?" He asked.

Bulma sighed and then spoke.

"Well, truth is Vegeta…" She began, "Just before you went ahead and almost killed yourself… I had feelings for you. While you were embracing me that morning, I just felt something I never did before and after a while I realized what it was."

"Never felt before?" He asked, "But what about for the scar-faced idiot?"

Bulma laughed a little.

"Like I said, it wasn't the same." She said, "That was more of a silly infatuation I felt. With you it's different, it's a lot more… real."

He smirked at her. He kissed her lips and then sighed, remembering that he did the same thing.

"You know… I… uh…" He began, "I did the same thing the night before that when I put you to bed."

"You put me to… bed?" Bulma asked, confused and surprised.

Vegeta nodded.

"You fell asleep on the couch towards the end of that… Martial Art's film." Vegeta explained.

Bulma suddenly remembered. He was referring to the day she broke up with Yamcha. The day that was just full of surprises. Then again, today seemed to be as well. But then she remembered what he said.

"Wait… So you put me to bed…" She began, "Then… kissed me?"

Vegeta began blushing and nodded, facing down.

"I stroked your hair and face a little… and then you smiled…" He explained, "When I saw that… I couldn't help myself… I guess."

"I… thought that was… all a dream." She said, tears of joy glistening her eyes. So Vegeta was attached to her well before she knew. The mere thought of it exhilarated her. Vegeta smelled her tears and glared up at her.

"Stop your foolish sentimentality woman!" He groused, before sighing and continuing. "I… just… I felt drawn towards you… for a while."

Bulma looked at him, eyes widened.

"How long?" She asked.

"Well… Truth is…" He began answering maintaining a stoic look, "A few months after living in the compound with you… I… uh… grew fond of your… behavior… and your boldness… When I told you I liked you, it was most likely out of instinct… I didn't know it myself, but I know now that it's how I felt for a long time."

His words made Bulma beam inside with joy. She felt speechless, so she kissed his lips and sucked on them for a moment till he kissed back and the two continued until they allowed tongue entrance and tasted each other for a while, before Vegeta remembered that he needed to learn about the whole incident with Kakarot.

"Wait… Why did that fool Kakarot drop in on you, anyway?" He asked, after pulling back.

"Well after you nearly killed yourself," She began answering after contemplating the question, "I found you buried under the rubble. I was able to dig you out, but I couldn't move you to the infirmary, so I ran to my bedroom, got my cell-phone and called Goku for help. He's the one that carried you here… Later on he came back to check up on me and asked for details and that's when he… uh… found me."

Vegeta wanted to be infuriated at her for what she did. She called that idiot over to help him? What nerve! But he knew that all she was looking out for his welfare. He remembered the panic-stricken state she was in when she made him promise to take care of himself. He remembered how she burst into tears just thinking about him having been hurt. He couldn't even imagine how devastated she would've been to actually see it happen. He hadn't thought about it before, but he knew that he had caused her pain and sorrow by being so careless. She'd practically lived in his hospital room the whole time he was unconscious and it was entirely his fault. Maybe that's what love was… He knew that if she were critically wounded, he'd be devastated and would go to any lengths to make her better… She was his world… She was everything to him… He knew it now… He loved her. He couldn't tell her that, but he knew it was true and nothing could change the way he felt towards her.

Vegeta pulled her in a warm embrace and began rubbing his cheek against hers and sniffing her, inhaling her sweet intoxicating scent. Bulma was stunned by his move. Where did that come from all of a sudden? She expected him to burst at her in a fit of fiery rage and fury, but he didn't. Where did such warmth and passion come from? Maybe he was changing. A week ago he would never have acted this way. Either way, she wasn't complaining. She was savoring every second of his warm embrace as she wound her legs tightly around his waist and her arms tightly around his neck, their flesh touching and providing a warm, comforting sensation to one-another - a feeling of fulfillment like no other. Bulma felt ecstatic, the desire burning within her – her love for him growing. They stayed their position for a short while, before Vegeta pulled his head back, looking at the beautiful pools of cerulean, that were her eyes. He then captured her lips in a passionate kiss and the two continued kissing and soon parted their lips to allow tongue-entrance to one another. Their tongues continued wrestling with one another and after a long while they stopped, pulled back a little and looked at each other.

"I love you, Vegeta." Said Bulma in a soft sensual tone like never before, offering him the kindest and most comfortable smile he'd ever seen. She'd never smiled like that for anyone before and she wouldn't. Only he could bring that out of her. Only he could provide her that sense of safety, comfort, happiness and fulfillment. Only he could fill every bit of loneliness within her.

Vegeta was ensorcelled by the softness of her tone and the gentleness of her smile. He'd never seen or heard anything so beautiful in his life. Bulma noticed the state he was in after a while and spoke.

"It's okay Vegeta…" She said warmly, her beautiful smile never leaving her, "You don't have to say it… I can tell…"

She wanted him to say it, there was no doubt about that, but she wouldn't coerce him into doing something that made him feel uncomfortable. Maybe someday he would tell her that, but for now, all she wanted was to feel it and she could. It resonated through every fiber in her body, so she didn't mind not hearing it from him.

Vegeta was deeply satisfied with her consolation. He simply began kissing her neck, then licking upwards till he reached her bottom lip and began sliding his touch across it slowly, back and forth.

She began giggling.

"Stop it, Vegeta." She said, barely able to suppress her laughter. He sure knew how to spark her flame of desire. She then softly nipped his tongue, holding it in her mouth, slowly licking its tip with her own, before freeing it and gently kissing the tip of his nose.

"Who taught you all these moves, 'Geta?"

He grimaced at her constant use of that annoying nickname, but responded anyway (A/N: I, for one, really like that nickname, but I'm sure Vegeta wouldn't).

"I'm self-taught."

Bulma was astounded by his answer.

"Oh… so have you ever-"

"No."

Bulma was even more astounded than before. How could he not have shared in sexual intimacy with another if he was so good with her? Not good, great… in fact, perfect… in every way. Each move made ensorcelled her like never before. There's no way he could be telling the truth… but she never knew him to tell a lie… The sarcastic remarks he made didn't count of course. But it still didn't seem to make any sense to her, at all. What's more, she'd never seen a more attractive looking man all her life, what with his handsome face, fiery mane of hair and seraphic figure. How could someone as attractive as him not have engaged in sex at least once in their lives, if not a thousand times?

"You've never even tried?"

Vegeta sighed, then after a while he answered.

"I did try once, but I refused to go through with it…"

Bulma was confused.

"What do you mea-"

"Frieza's men raped women numerous times during the purge missions, when I accompanied them…" He interrupted, knowing what she was going to ask, "I was disgusted by it and found it absolutely abhorrent. Frieza made me engage in missions with them for that very reason and since they were under his protection, I could do nothing to stop them… As I grew older, my curiosity for having a woman kept eating away at me, so during one purge mission, when I was nineteen, I saw an attractive young woman trying to make her escape after I had just destroyed her village. I easily flew past her and landed in front of her, making her crash right into me. She fell backwards onto the ground in surprise, so I crawled on top of her and ripped off all her clothes. I took of my armor and was about to take off my bodysuit when I saw her whimpering and could see the look in her eyes. It burned away at me. I knew at that moment that if I acted upon impulse, I would be doing exactly what Frieza wanted – violating what little remained of my Saiyan honor."

He paused for a moment. Bulma felt the need to speak.

"What do you mean… Saiyan honor?"

"Taking a woman against her will is strictly prohibited under Saiyan tradition."

Bulma was startled at the revelation. She had always thought that the Saiyans were bloodthirsty savages with no conscience and no shred of honor in them.

"So… what did you do?" She asked.

"I crawled off of her and blasted her into the ground." He answered.

Bulma gasped, shuddering at the thought of Vegeta ever having been so ruthless. At the same time she couldn't help but feel proud of him for having held onto his honor in such a way.

"I refused to give Frieza the pleasure of having broken me completely." He said, facing downwards.

Bulma contemplated what she had heard for a moment and felt bad for having made him recall such horrible memories. He was her source of comfort and fulfillment and she would be his. She pulled Vegeta's head to her chest, holding him against her firmly. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his face against her bosom and began stroking his mane as she rested her chin atop his head.

Vegeta was deeply comforted by the softness of Bulma's breasts and he too closed his eyes, enjoying her consolation. He tightened his grip on her and she responded in kind. He could feel her warmth resonating through him and it provided him a sense of tranquility he'd never have thought possible. At that moment, he felt at peace like never before. He'd never known peace his entire life. He only knew war and death, but this woman provided him with such a deep feeling of calm. It resonated through every fiber of his body, satiating him in every way possible. He exhaled slowly into her bosom, releasing all his pains and horrors and displaying the strong sense of comfort he was feeling.

Bulma smiled, continuing to stroke his mane, as her chin rested on top of his head. She felt the peace and calm that echoed in him through his breath. It brought her such happiness. She wanted to be there for him… always. She wanted nothing more than to surround him with her comfort, to be the source of his fulfillment, to soothe him and to be there to help him up every time he fell down. She was experiencing a new feeling – protectiveness. She knew they were leagues apart in terms of power, but she also knew that she could help protect him from his inner demons and help him become the man he could've and should've been, not the monster Frieza made him. She would always be there for him.

Long moments passed by and Bulma refused to let go unless he did. Footsteps were then heard approaching the pair and Vegeta slowly let go and scowled towards the door. Who dared to interrupt his moment with his woman?

His woman? Had he decided already? But he couldn't, not without her consent, not without telling her the truth. He knew it now. He no longer wanted her to reject him. He wanted her to agree… to be his mate, to be his woman, forever… Her touch healed his damaged soul like nothing else ever could. He loved her deeply. He wouldn't admit it, but he was no longer ashamed of it. Why be ashamed of the only source of peace, comfort and serenity he'd ever known? Why be ashamed of something beautiful, fulfilling and more desirable than anything? He no longer had the desire for power, the desire to take life without reason or the desire to control others. He still wanted to surpass Kakarot and defeat him when the time came and to take his rightful place as the most powerful being in the Universe, but the epicenter of his life was this woman – he would live to protect her, he would fight to protect her and if he had to, he would die to protect her… a thousands times over. He truly loved her and it no longer shamed him.


	20. Chapter 20

**Warning: Lemony zest**

Chapter 20: Surprise

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Vegeta honey, you in here?" Mrs. Brief called out. She knew he regained consciousness, when she visited Dr. Brief in his lab, calling him for breakfast. He walked to the kitchen with her on the way he told her that Vegeta had awakened and ordered that he work on the gravity chamber.

The ditzy airheaded mother of Bulma's forced Vegeta out of his thoughts.

"What do you want?!" He tried yelling but couldn't quite encompass his voice with the intended roughness – he just wasn't in the mood to be angry after experiencing Bulma's soothing embrace.

"Well, honey, I about to make some breakfast, would you like some?" She asked, but then remembered, "Oh no! I forgot you can only eat hospital food."

Vegeta thought for a while, before sighing and speaking out.

"It's fine, I'm healed, completely… I'll be in the kitchen soon."

"You sure honey?"

"Yes, now leave!"

Mrs. Brief giggled and left. She was an extremely kind, gentle and passive woman. She didn't mind Vegeta's crude tone and arrogant behavior. She simply wanted what was best for him – she wished nothing but the best for everyone. That's the kind of person she was.

After she was a safe distance away, Bulma spoke.

"W-W-What're we g-g-going t-to d-do?" She asked hesitantly.

Vegeta smirked at her. He then lifted her up, her arms still around his neck and legs still around his waist. Bulma didn't like the look on his face. Her heartbeat increased. He could sense her apprehension and it simply widened his smirk into a grin.

"W-W-W-What are y-y-y-you p-p-planning?" She asked, apprehension deeply embedded in her tone.

"Whatever happens… hold on tight." He ordered, his grin still etched on his face. He put on a pair of black slippers nearby.

"W-W-Wha-" She tried speaking, but her voice was muffled as he captured her lips in a deep kiss, before dashing towards the door, unlocking it quickly, opening it and racing out of the medical center. Using his super-speed, it took mere seconds for him to unlock the door and Bulma was completely dazed by the way she was quickly being moved from one place to the next. Using his extraordinary stealth, he was easily able to ensure that no one saw or noticed them.

She was holding onto him firmly and was completely stupefied as they made their exit.

"Okay, you can let go now…" He said.

She stayed her position for a while, before bringing her legs down to the ground. She was still very much off-balance which Vegeta used to his advantage. As she released her arms from around his neck, he gently pushed her, causing her to fall on her rear in an undignified manner. She landed in a pool of soft, mostly dry, mud, which stained her silk dress.

Vegeta immediately bolted for the compound, leaving her to fend for herself.

It took her a while to realize what had occurred, as she was still stupefied by how fast everything had happened.

"VEGETA! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Vegeta heard her all the way from the compound and was bursting with laughter both inside and out. He'd never pushed her that far before and it pushed his mirth to its highest level so far.

He made his way to the compound, taking his slippers off outside and sat down, watching as Mrs. Brief began preparing breakfast. Dr. Brief was sitting down nearby, reading a newspaper. As soon as he noticed Vegeta, he averted his gaze back to the newspaper, still apprehensive after Vegeta's earlier outburst.

She turned around and gasped when she saw him.

"V-Vegeta…" She said and took a deep breath, "How'd you get here so fast?"

"Do you really need to ask?" He responded.

She thought for a while before beaming at him.

"Of course not." Mrs. Brief said, "I forgot what a talented young man you are… You're such a catch you know that? Oh, did you know Bulma was by your side the whole time, when you were in the hospital?"

"Really?" He asked, smirking, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah! I think she really likes you." Mrs. Brief stated, her smile never leaving her face, "I think you two would be the perfect match, don't you? I mean, she and Yamcha did break up, so I think you should make your move now, before someone else does…"

"IF ANYONE TRIES, I'LL KILL THEM!" Came Vegeta's abrupt and instinctive response, as loud as ever. He immediately regretted what he said. Now this ditzy woman would know how jealous he was for her. It was all her fault for suggesting that some idiot make a move on his woman, or his hopefully soon to be woman… Even thinking about it made him burn with rage.

Both elder Briefs jumped at his sudden outburst.

They began looking at him in confusion and apprehension.

'What on Earth's up with Vegeta? Maybe he should still be in hospital.' Dr. Brief thought.

Vegeta was growing annoyed at their staring.

"What are you gawking at?!" He demanded sternly, looking at Mrs. Brief and then back to Dr. Brief mid-sentence.

"Oh… uh… n-n-nothing, son." Dr. Brief said. The good doctor then noticed how well he had healed – it was as if he was good as new, but that was simply impossible, given the vast extent of his injuries. Mrs. Brief was too preoccupied with her own thoughts and cooking to have observed it and the Dr. Brief hadn't noticed the first time, because he simply gave him a fleeting glance before averting his gaze. His previous outburst forgotten, Dr. Brief asked, "V-Vegeta, h-how on Earth d-did you r-recover s-so fast?"

"Senzu bean." He answered, in a bored tone.

At that moment Bulma burst into the compound and saw Vegeta sitting down casually. She saw her mother cooking and her father sitting in his usual spot reading the newspaper. She began glaring at Vegeta, who simply smirked at her, snickering softly while doing so.

"Bulma, what on Earth happened to you darling?" Asked Mrs. Brief. Dr. Brief lowered his newspaper and his eyes widened when he saw her.

Bulma froze for a moment, before responding.

"I… I … I was off-balance and ended up in the mud on my way here…" She responded, telling a half-truth. She was off-balance but it was Vegeta who had the nerve to push her.

"Bulma, where in the world have you been?" Dr. Brief asked. "I was looking for you earlier today."

Bulma froze once again. What would she tell him? She couldn't tell him about her and Vegeta… Vegeta - that jerk! She'd make him pay dearly for putting her in this position. She glared daggers at him and saw him grinning at her slyly.

The elder Briefs observed the exchange that was taking place and Dr. Brief narrowed his eyes at Vegeta.

"Vegeta, would you mind explaining just what the hell is going on?"

Vegeta looked at him in disbelief. He was shaking in his boots just a while ago and now he demanded an answer from him, with not a worry in sight. He cast that thought aside and turned his face towards Bulma once again, grinning.

"Ask her… I'm not the one who looks like I live in a jungle."

"HOW DARE YOU VEGETA?! YOU FILTHY JERK! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU REGRET EVERY SECOND OF THIS! JUST YOU WAIT!" Bulma screeched.

While the elder Briefs cringed, Vegeta began howling with laughter at her outburst. In a sudden and abrupt move, Bulma ran up to him and grabbed him from behind in a headlock, while he was still in his chair, trying to squeeze his neck tight. It had no effect though, now that he was fully healed. He laughed at her feeble attempts to hurt him, then moved his chin underneath her forearm and gently nibbled her soft flesh. She shrieked in response, pulling her arm back and retreating a little. He continued howling in a fit of hysterical laughter. He'd never been so cheerful all his life. Bulma's fury humored him like nothing else.

Bulma was fuming and could no longer contain herself… She had to find something, anything to get back at him. Then she saw a plastic one-liter jug half-filled with orange juice on the dining table, where Vegeta and her father were situated. She moved to the table, picked it up and poured the contents on top of Vegeta, drenching his hair, face and body in the sweet, sticky beverage.

Vegeta's mood suddenly reversed from high mirth, to irritation and then to lividity. In a fiery fit of rage and fury, he pounced on Bulma, pinning her to the ground beneath him. The now empty jug fell to the ground as a result.

"HOW DARE YOU, FOOLISH WENCH?!" He shouted.

"HEY! YOU STARTED IT, YOU STUPID JERK!" She yelled back.

The elder Briefs had observed all that had taken place and were as confused as ever. Then Dr. Brief spoke out, not at all pleased by their childish antics. He expected much better from the likes of them.

"Stop it, both of you!" He exclaimed, "You're acting like a pair of five-year olds! I don't know what the hell is going on, but this foolishness ends now!"

Dr. Brief could handle Vegeta's arrogance and Bulma's attitude, but if there was one thing he didn't like, it was such immaturity, especially on Bulma's part.

Vegeta was completely taken aback by his tone. He never spoke like that before in his life. He should've been angered at the way he was being reprimanded, but the good doctor was right! He was acting like a child. He was being foolish. That was no way for a Prince to behave.

Vegeta got off Bulma and snarled at her, before bolting upstairs to his room, which was adjacent to hers. Bulma followed en suite, heading upstairs and to her own bedroom.

While in the bedroom, her sour mood soon changed to one of merriment. She'd never had that much fun in years. She felt like a little girl again and it was enthralling to her. She looked in her cupboard, in search of something to change into.

'I wonder how Vegeta's doing though. He's probably raving mad.' She mused as she found a loose lavender nylon miniskirt and a white tank top, as well as a bra and pair of underwear, 'Hey I know what'll cheer him up!'

"Just you wait, Vegeta!" She laughed mischievously.

Bulma grabbed a towel and her clothes and stealthily made her way to Vegeta's room. She opened the door as silently as she possibly could. Luckily it wasn't locked. She entered and noticed that the bathroom door was ajar. He was probably too aggravated to care. She smirked as she took her sleep dress off and threw it in his hamper. She put the clean clothes in her hands onto his bed, next to his own clothes, neatly folding them, just as he had his. She was so much at ease that she forgot to fully close the front door of his room.

She entered the bathroom door, gently closed and locked it and saw him in the shower room, facing the opposite direction. The shower door was open and she got a good hard look at his rear figure.

'Oh my… What an amazing ass.' She thought to herself, blushing. She put her baby blue towel on the stand next to his royal blue one.

Vegeta was much too enveloped in his own thoughts to notice anything else. He was irked like never before.

"Foolish woman. Who does she think she is? I'll show her who's b-"

Vegeta's audible thoughts were interrupted as a hand grabbed him around the mouth from behind. He was much too distracted in his own thoughts and anger to have noticed an intruder stealthily make their way into his domain. He felt a woman's naked body softly pressing against him from behind. He was completely frozen, stuck on the spot. The woman slowly removed her hand and her other hand draped around his waistline and began gently stroking his rock-hard abs up and down.

He slowly turned his head back and saw a crown of blue behind him. He immediately turned back around, facing the opposite direction.

"W-W-W-What t-t-the h-h-hell a-a-a-re-" He asked in a soft tone, absolutely stunned.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her face next to his, pressing herself firmly against his back.

"Relax 'Geta." She whispered seductively and gently nibbled and sucked on his ear.

He froze again at the soft sound of her voice, her lips and wet mouth on his ear and most of all, her naked body pressed against his back.

She slowly released her grip after a while and took a step back, waiting for him to turn around. He turned around slowly and apprehensively and the look on his face was priceless – a perfect blend of horror, tension, anxiety, irritation, shock, astonishment and embarrassment.

He gasped and his eyes widened like never before, looking at her naked body, only a foot away from him. She had such a delicate angelic frame. He appraised her up and down, observing her straight silky blue hair, her deep blue cerulean pools that were drinking in his figure from top to bottom a few times over before settling on his own deep black eyes, that coquettish smirk etched on her face, those round swelling breasts, her perked up pink nipples, her slender abdomen and her shapely hips and legs. Her beautiful milky white skin only made the whole package that much greater. He was in complete shock and was burning inside. What was she doing here? Was she crazy? What nerve she had! He immediately averted his gaze to the side.

"Y-you sh-shouldn't b-b-be i-i-in h-here… L-leave!" He exclaimed in a hushed tone, trying to be angry, but he was in too much shock for that.

Bulma ignored him. She went and closed the shower door. Vegeta was apprehensive about the whole situation the moment she did that. She returned to her spot and tilted the showerhead to the side, so it was no longer pouring water down on the surly Saiyan Prince.

Vegeta growled at her, taking utmost care, not to be heard by anyone outside. He wanted to roar, but couldn't. She continued ignoring him and turned her attention to the soap dispenser on the right wall, only about two feet away. It was within arm range, so she didn't have to move away from her spot. She turned sideways and pressed the button on the dispenser until she had a copious amount of soap within her grasp. She then turned to face Vegeta, still preserving that seductive smirk on her face, while rubbing her hands together. He could barely see straight with her naked angelic body in such close proximity to his own. She then pushed Vegeta against the wall with her index finger only, easily moving the startled and stunned Prince. She approached him and put her soft hands on his firm steel chest rubbing the soap on it and then onto his rock-hard abs, unabashedly showing the lust she felt and taking her time as she slowly applied soap to him. His member began hardening as he appraised her perfect figure and felt the soft caress of her hands on his torso. She then grabbed him around the waist, palms facing inwards, rubbing his back up and down with soap.

Vegeta felt tenser than ever.

"W-w-woman… s-s-stop th-thi-"

She pulled him to her and captured his lips in a deep sensual kiss, her naked body pressed firmly against his own, as she kissed him several times. Vegeta couldn't think straight, as he was quickly being overcome with desire. His member hardened against her. She loved the feel of his lips, his firm muscles against her breasts and his hardened member pressed to her lower abdomen.

She then moved her head towards his ear.

"I just want to clean you… 'Geta." She whispered seductively.

Vegeta went limp. Her words and soft, seductive voice caused his desire to rapidly rise. He couldn't hold himself much longer.

"Lewd woman." He whispered back softly, now more relaxed and willing to give in, though he wasn't completely there just yet.

"I'm not lewd." She responded smiling against his ear and not insulted in the least, by his remark, "You're just irresistibly sexy… 'Geta."

That was it for Vegeta. He couldn't fight it any longer. He took a deep sigh, releasing all his frustration, then smirked, whirled her around against the wall and kissed her deeply, holding her by the waist. He continued kissing her lips, before taking a deep breath and kissing her chin and neck, making his way down her chest, until he reached her breasts. He began kissing her right breast a few times, nearing her areola. She was burning with desire, but soon managed to collect herself and grab his head, pulling it upwards, so he was facing her.

She shook her head and he growled at her. She giggled.

"Relax grumpy…" She reassured him, smirking mischievously, "You'll get your turn soon enough, but not yet… Now let me go get more soap."

Vegeta wasn't too happy about having to wait, but he released his hold on her. Bulma returned and began rubbing his neck, shoulders, underarms, arms, hands and back with soap. She then tilted the showerhead back and began rinsing his body, rubbing it with her hand as she did so. She tilted it away. She then shampooed his hair and rinsed it clean. She loved the soft, smooth feel of his fiery mane.

She stepped back, appraising him up and down once again and licking her lips as she did so.

"You know you have a really big one…"

Vegeta blushed and looked away to hide it, knowing what she was talking about. She giggled for a moment and then spoke.

"Now comes the fun part… 'Geta." She said seductively.

Vegeta trembled at the tone of her voice. What could she possibly mean by that? He just remembered that he couldn't take it too far yet.

"Wait woman…" He told her. She whirled around and looked at him, "Nothing crude. Not yet… There's still a question that has to be answered tonight…"

Bulma looked at him disappointedly.

"What question?"

"Tonight… Not yet."

Bulma grumbled and glowered at him for a second before asking.

"What's the problem?"

Vegeta furrowed his brows.

"I will not cast away my pride…" He stated boldly, "If we do this, we do this the right way and that means nothing dishonorable… You can clean me up if you want, but no pushing it too far."

Bulma continued staring at him for a second. She sighed. She would have to be patient. She smiled warmly at him and walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her body against him and looking directly up into his obsidian eyes.

"Hey… its okay, I'll never ask you to throw away your pride." Bulma reassured him in a soft warm manner. She then kissed his lips, "I know how much it means to you and I'll always respect it."

Vegeta smiled inwardly at her acceptance, but on the outside maintained his stoic expression.

"Good… Now finish cleaning me up woman." He ordered her, smirking. Bulma's smile turned into a glare.

"Hey, don't tell me what to-"

Vegeta broke her sentence by capturing her lips in a deep kiss. Bulma was initially angered. What nerve! He sure knew how to shut her up. But then again she had a similar effect on him and she knew he was just teasing. Those thoughts caused her anger to dissipate, as she kissed back.

A while later they broke their kiss. Bulma bent over and cleaned up the lower half of his body. It was very hard to resist appraising and fondling him down below, but Bulma managed it to the extent she could, making sure she didn't go too far. She quickly rubbed his member, his keister and his compact legs, all the while avoiding the urge to try anything remotely sexual. It was so aggravating for her. She could think of so many things to do with them, but she'd keep her promise to Vegeta.

After she was done she rinsed the appropriate areas and washed her hands clean with soap (A/N: I'm really big on hygiene).

"Okay… you may leave now." Vegeta smirked at her, knowing she would go crazy.

"Hey, no fair! I scrubbed your back, now you scrub mine!" Bulma scolded, pouting her lips like a child.

"Make me." Vegeta grinned mischievously.

Bulma was really getting annoyed with him. She glared at him. Oh well, she didn't mind doing this the hard way. After all, what was there to lose? Her glare turned into yet another alluring smirk, which engendered a feeling of trepidation within the Prince. She giggled inwardly, before going and retrieving some soap from the dispenser. She took his right hand and moved it so his palm faced upwards. She rubbed the soap off her hand onto his. She moved closer, took his hand and placed it on her breast.

Vegeta stiffened. He never expected for her to go so far. She held her hand onto his and began moving it around, rubbing it against her big, soft, shapely mound.

"Come on, 'Geta…" She said softly, that same coquettish look etched on her face, "Have me…."

Vegeta became as limp as a dead fish at her last statement. Bulma batted her eyelashes at him seductively. He just couldn't avoid his desires any longer… not anymore. They would rip him apart from the inside. He had to oblige her and give her yet another win to add to her list. Oh well, there was always next time. He began rubbing her swelling breasts - jolting at the sensation he was feeling. The softness and smoothness of her breasts made it difficult for him to breathe. He released a deep breath and continued fondling her for a while, loving the sensation he felt when caressing her hardened nipple and the areas around. Bulma could barely resist the urge to moan, but knew that doing so may ignite his desires beyond control. Vegeta then rubbed her lean abdomen with soap, then her arms and hands.

He then retrieved more soap and he did her neck, then her back, feeling the amazing curvature of it. He then turned the showerhead her way, rinsing her off and rubbing, before shampooing her silky hair and rinsing it off.

He kissed her lips a few times, embracing her firmly, before tending to the lower half of her body, loving the feel of every curve on her backside, her hips, her thighs and her lower legs.

He then began rinsing it off. After he finished, he closed the tap. He was still bent down, his heart pounding against his chest and his member still hardened. He lifted her left leg up and bent further down, kissing her lower shin, a few inches above her ankle, then went up along the inner-most section of her shin up to the point just below her knee, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. He then rubbed his cheek along the area he kissed a couple of times. Her legs were immaculate to say the least… She always loved flaunting them. They were nice and long, had such a soft and smooth texture and a perfect curvature. They did arouse him several times, though for the most part, focusing on his training did help avert his attention away from any carnal desires he had.

Bulma was stunned at his actions, never having expected him to do that. It enthralled her. She began burning with desire feeling his soft warm cheek rubbing against her leg. He then put her leg down and kissed her knee a few times, before making his way higher and higher, leaving a trail of kisses up her thigh until he reached the top of her left hip. He rubbed his cheek along the area he kissed a few times, before sucking on it, using his mouth and tongue, making his way up and down, slowly. With each soft and gentle kiss, caress and suck of his, Bulma's desire burned further and further. She was lost in her own world, but then she remembered what he had told her, allowing her to finally collect herself.

"V-V-Vegeta… N-n-not yet… r-r-remember?" Bulma told him, her heart fluttering and every inch of her burning with desire.

Vegeta was brought out of his trance. He got up and Bulma cursed herself inwardly. Why did she have to go on ruining everything? She wanted him to continue tending to her lower half in that gentle, enthralling manner of his, but then she reminded herself that Vegeta had his pride. She wouldn't go letting him lose it.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Caught

~~~~

Earlier on:

Right after Bulma left upstairs, Mrs. Brief began cleaning up the spilled orange juice left on the scene. It took her a few minutes to finish and Dr. Brief turned to her.

"Just what do you think is up with those two?"

Mrs. Brief looked at him and giggled.

"Isn't it obvious, honey?"

Dr. Brief raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Are you saying-"

"Yeah," She interrupted excitedly, giggling once again, "I think it's very sweet don't you?"

Dr. Brief sat silently for about five minutes, soaking it all in. By this time, Bulma was on her way to Vegeta's room, walking stealthily to ensure no one heard her… and no one did.

"They wouldn't really be-"

"Why not?" Mrs. Brief asked, "They're a match made in Heaven, if you ask me. They're so protective of one-other."

Dr. Brief raised an eye-brow, intrigued.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

"Well, Bulma was practically lived in the same room as him in the hospital for days…" She began explaining, "And didn't you notice the way Vegeta responded when I suggested he should take his chance with Bulma before someone else does?"

Mrs. Brief was a very observant woman, hiding behind the façade of a ditzy airhead. Most people didn't seem to notice but her husband knew very well. He would never have asked for her take on the situation, if he thought otherwise.

"Yes… you have a good point." He concurred. He hadn't noticed it earlier, having been far too taken by Vegeta's sudden outburst to pay much attention to the underlying reason behind it.

His suspicions aroused, Dr. Brief went upstairs to get answers, even if he had to beat it out of them, not that he could or would. He made his way up carefully, so as to not give himself away. He wanted to know if there really was something going on and if so, just how deep was it?

When he reached outside of Bulma's door, he noticed that Vegeta's door was ajar, which aroused his curiosity. Suddenly he became suspicious, but dismissed his thought as he entered Bulma's room. He found the bathroom door open and saw no one inside. Incorporating that with the fact that Vegeta's door was open, there was little doubt that his suspicions were correct.

Dr. Brief went inside Vegeta's room and found a royal blue tank top on his bed, with matching royal blue track pants, both folded neatly and right next to it a lavender miniskirt and white tank top, presumably Bulma's.

The good doctor was stunned at his newfound discovery. He sat down on the bed, facing sideways away from the bathroom door, in order to have his gaze focused elsewhere, lest they came out… unclothed.

Dr. Brief heard soft moaning sounds and inaudible words from both parties inside the bathroom and he laughed wryly, in response. He never would've imagined being in such an awkward situation. Oh, they were both going to get it… big time.

After Vegeta had finished tending to Bulma's lower half and began gently pleasuring it with his lips, cheek and tongue, only to be stopped by Bulma, he turned the shower tap back on, to clean the area where had tended to her (A/N: Big on hygiene, remember?). As the water ran down he gently rubbed the area with his calloused hands, causing her to moan.

He then got up and put his arms around her waist, while she put placed her hands on either side of his face. They kissed for a while, before leaving the shower door. Bulma dashed towards the towel stand and grabbed Vegeta's royal blue towel. He came towards her, frowning. When he was standing one foot from her, he spoke.

"What-"

She began drying him up using his towel, starting from his hair, then his face and downward, till she reached his feet and after drying the, she wrapped the towel around his waist and kissed his lips.

"You just can't get enough of me can you?" Asked Vegeta, smirking.

"Yeah well… who could?" Bulma asked, then smirked, "Besides, it goes both ways, Mister."

Bulma handed him her baby-blue towel to dry her up. What he did next surprised her. He took off his towel and began drying her with it.

"V-V-Vegeta?"

"Yes?"

"Why're yo-"

"I want your scent on my towel," He blushed a little and bowed his head down so she wouldn't notice, "I find it… soothing…"

Dr. Brief heard that bit of information and laughed inwardly. This was not the Vegeta he knew. Maybe they weren't so bad together. Maybe they were right for each other like his wife had said. Either way, they had a lot of explaining to do.

Bulma paused for a while, waiting for him to finishing drying her from head to toe, before speaking.

"Now who can't get enough of who?" She smirked alluringly.

Vegeta blushed and could think of nothing to say, so he tilted his head. Bulma laughed, tilted his head back with her hands and kissed his lips. She then took his towel from his hands and wrapped it around his waist again, kissing his rock hard abs after finishing. Vegeta burned, feeling her soft sensual lips kissing him there. She sensed his arousal and looked up to his face, smirking.

Vegeta growled at her. She giggled and got up, holding out her baby blue towel to him, expectantly.

"Put it on yourself!" Vegeta groused.

"Oh come on, 'Geta." She pleaded, looking at him with puppy dog eyes and pouting her lips.

Dr. Brief suppressed a laugh at her nickname for him. Seems they did totally have a thing for each other.

"That… won't… work on me." Said Vegeta, tilting his head to the side, though he knew it would.

Bulma grabbed his face gently with both hands on either side of it, turning it back towards her slowly.

"Pleeeeeaaaaasssse…" She beseeched softly, still giving him the puppy dog eyes.

"Uh… Fine, you goddamn siren!" He said. She kissed his lips and then removed her hands from his face, as he wrapped the towel underneath her arms and above her breast line – it was a large towel and ended just above her ankles.

Dr. Brief was once again astonished and quite amused at what was taking place. And just a moment ago he thought he'd heard it all. It seemed Bulma's charms were just too much, even for the proud and relentless Saiyan Prince.

Bulma giggled softly. He wasn't all that angry with her. He put his hand on the area of her towel, which was covering her breast and closed his eyes feeling around a little bit.

Bulma closed her eyes at the soothing feeling and moved towards him, embracing him tightly with her arms around his neck. He put his own around her rear, squeezing softly, loving the feel. The two stood there for a while, before Vegeta sensed it. It was there the whole time and he had missed it – distracted by the blue-haired woman. An intruder… The old man was inside his room the whole time.

He froze for a moment and let go of Bulma, who then saw his discomfort.

"What's wro-"

Vegeta put a finger on her lips to shush her, then released it.

"Your father…" He whispered quietly. "He's been outside the whole time. I just sensed him now."

Bulma was about to gasp, but Vegeta put his palm over her mouth and brought his index finger to his own lips, to shush her.

"Nice job getting me into this mess!" He whispered sharply, after a while.

She released her grip around his neck and took a step back, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"What're we going to do?" She asked.

"There's nothing we can do." He said softly, "He knows. There's no doubt about that… Great work you idiot!"

"Sorry…" She responded looking down dejectedly, saddened that she put Vegeta in such a situation.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her and saw her disappointment.

"Are you really that ashamed of me?" He asked.

"Its not that Vegeta…" She said, "I just thought you didn't want anyone to know yet, that's all…" She continued and then spoke in a soft seductive tone - a coquettish smile embedded on her face, "Besides who'd be ashamed of having a handsome Prince like you?"

Vegeta smirked. She'd never called him 'Prince' before, except in a jeering manner. He then spoke.

"You don't have me just yet…" He said, "But you may tonight… depending on your answer."

Bulma looked into his obsidian eyes, nervousness etched inside of her. She wanted to know what this question was. She would give any answer in the world. She would agree to anything, just so she could have him. Vegeta saw her stunning azure eyes and could tell just how badly she wanted him… she needed him more than anything.

"Don't fret woman…" Vegeta smirked. He then kissed her lips, "I have a feeling you won't disappoint me."

Bulma smiled warmly at his reassurance and kissed him back.

"Alright you two, that's enough of your sweet talking!" Dr. Brief said sternly, realizing that they had learned of his presence based on the silent murmurs he was hearing, "I think its time you explain yourselves, don't you?"

No answer.

"I'll wait as long as I have to." He said impatiently, "Until I get answers I'm staying right where I am."

Vegeta was truly surprised at his gall. He always thought of him as a weakling he could push around at will, yet here he saw him acting like a father would towards his naughty children. Bulma felt more and more like a rebellious teenager and despite the precariousness of the situation she had found herself in, she couldn't help but smile inside. Vegeta was truly something else. With him, she experienced things she hadn't experienced in a long time and never would have, with anyone else. The Saiyan Prince just had such a playful nature. After all, he hadn't experienced a proper childhood – his life was plagued with murder and sorrow.

"What do you want to know, old man?!" Vegeta asked, his usual roughness etched in his voice.

"Well… for starters, if you're going to be showering with Bulma," He demanded sternly, "You will address me more respectfully!"

Wow, the surprises just wouldn't stop. Now the old man was commanding respect. What Vegeta didn't know was that Dr. Brief saw a change in him. Previously, he feared him and would do what he asked without question, but now he could feel his sense of change and so he strongly believed that he could get him to show him the respect he deserved.

Vegeta would enjoy having a verbal sparring contest, however and he may have a move or two up his sleeve.

"Alright then, how about old lecher?" He asked, smirking.

Bulma was stunned at his statement and slapped him in the chest.

"Vegeta!" She whispered harshly in a reprimanding tone.

Dr. Brief too was startled by the accusation. But he knew all to well that he could go off the radar at times.

"What, you haven't figured it out?" Vegeta looked at Bulma, smirking, "I guess having a Saiyan sense of smell does allow you to know more than meet's the eye."

"Are you saying my father… with other women?" Bulma asked, a dejected feeling overcoming her and bile rising in her throat.

Dr. Brief was stunned into silence. How could Bulma ever consider that?

Vegeta saw her discomfort and led her to the sink, opening the tap so she could spit out the contents rising in her throat out of her mouth and rinse. She then looked up at him, tears glistening her eyes.

"He doesn't engage in… that… with other women… just with himself… now quit being such a crybaby!" He berated.

Bulma sighed in relief… She'd already learned about her father's repulsive behavior many years ago when on her second hunt for the Dragon Balls with Goku, just before she encountered those two idiot perverted soldiers from the Red Ribbon Army, who tried to take advantage of her, whom she was eventually able to outsmart. She was still irked by her father's behavior, though. It seems he was still up to his shenanigans, but she was still relieved that it didn't go beyond that.

Dr. Brief too, took a sigh of relief. So that's how Vegeta knew. He still wasn't happy that his daughter learned of his antics. He was surprised and appreciative of the way Vegeta consoled her though. He soon found it in himself to speak.

"Look, I'm warning both of you…" Dr. Brief demanded, "I want answers and I want them now!"

"Or what?" Asked Vegeta smirking.

"Or you can stay in that bathroom all day." Dr. Brief answered, "I won't move till I get answers."

"Or we could just come out, without answering." Vegeta said, still smirking.

Bulma gasped.

"Vegeta!" She exclaimed, not happy with his bold statement.

"I know you have more pride than that, son." Dr. Brief stated confidently.

Vegeta was stunned. Here he was thinking that the good doctor was disgusted by his actions and yet he called him son. Perhaps the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed.

"We are adequately covered…" He stated, "We aren't showing anything you haven't already seen before."

Dr. Brief frowned.

"Then go ahead and come out." Dr. Brief challenged boldly. He called his bluff.

Vegeta grimaced. It seems his plan hadn't worked. He didn't want to go out facing him, with Bulma at his side, dressed only in a towel. He only said that so the good doctor would leave, knowing he couldn't get anywhere with them.

"Look dad, what's the problem?" Bulma asked pleadingly, "We didn't do anything wrong."

"I never said you did." Dr. Brief explained, "I'm just here for answers."

Vegeta was surprised. So that was all he wanted. He didn't seem to have anything against him being with his daughter. Not that it should matter. Her partner in life was her own business… though they weren't partners just yet. Bulma breathed a sigh of relief.

"What answers?" Bulma asked.

"For starters," Dr. Brief began, "Where were you early this morning?"

Bulma froze.

"I… I was… I was in Vegeta's… room… in the… hos-pital" Bulma answered, looking down and murmuring softly, as she spoke last two syllables.

Dr. Brief smiled knowingly. He knew it. He just knew it. It all made so much sense now.

"Good, that's what I like to hear." He said, "And why did you hide it from me?"

Bulma was totally feeling like she was sixteen and had just been caught making out with her lover, the way her father was scolding her.

"Well… I just… we just… didn't want anyone to know… yet." She answered.

Dr. Brief sighed and paused for a while, before speaking.

"How longer have you two been… together?"

Bulma contemplated the question. She then looked at Vegeta, who merely frowned.

She turned her direction towards the door.

"Technically… this… morning."

Dr. Brief was as confused as ever, but knew she was telling the truth. He paused for a while before voicing his thoughts.

"Listen, both of you." He said, "It's not my place to forbid you from being with each other and I have nothing against it… I just don't like being made a fool of. Pull another stunt like you did in the hospital and I'll blow up the gravity chamber with you still inside, got it?"

Vegeta and Bulma both looked at one another incredulously. Neither had ever heard him make such a bold threat before in his life. They remained silent for a while before Dr. Brief spoke.

"Good. I guess everything's clear, so I'll be taking by leave now." Said the good doctor. Everything had gone according to plan.

A few moments after he left, Vegeta spoke, looking at Bulma.

"The old man has bigger balls than I ever would've thought." He said, smirking.

"You can say that again." Bulma said, mouth still hanging open in disbelief.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Mind-training

Bulma and Vegeta changed into their clean clothes after exiting the shower. They exited the room and went downstairs for breakfast. Bulma was gleaming with joy at her father's acceptance.

Dr. Brief was sitting at the table reading the newspaper, with Scratch on his shoulder this time. Mrs. Brief was sitting nearby, beaming at them.

"Breakfast's ready, I kept it warm for you." She said, "I made all your favorites Vegeta. This is a very special day for me. I'm so happy you're okay, dear."

Vegeta paid her no mind and simply sat on his chair, Bulma sitting next to him. Mrs. Brief wasn't kidding; this was a truly amazing breakfast… the exotic flavors completely enticed the surly houseguest.

Dr. Brief ate while holding some food in his hand for Scratch to eat.

Breakfast was over.

"Hey 'Geta, since there's no gravity room yet, so what're you going to be doing today?" Bulma asked.

"Mind-training."

Bulma groused.

"Oh come on, can't you do something else?"

"Not today." Replied Vegeta, "There's a lot I need to think about."

"Like what?"

"I'll tell you when I find out."

Bulma sighed, but by the tone of his voice she knew this was something he seriously needed. Plus he did specifically say that he needed it today, so perhaps all hope wasn't lost.

"Sure thing, 'Geta." Bulma smiled warmly at him stroking his hair with her hands. The elder Briefs had noticed her move. Dr. Brief had already told his wife about the two of them being together but purposely avoided the details. He knew all to well that Vegeta wouldn't be happy being showered with her ridiculous overbearing sentimentality.

Vegeta got up from his seat and went to the back garden, where he would find solitude and comfort. Bulma sighed, seeing him leave. But it was just one day, so she was okay with it.

The day passed by as usual for Bulma and her father. They were working on the gravity chamber. It was Dr. Brief's day off after all and Bulma usually worked at home, rarely visiting her office for any executive work that required her attention.

Vegeta, however, was trying to focus his thoughts and have a clear mindset. Being with Bulma today did help him a lot. It helped him realize that he wanted her, he needed her and… he loved her, more than anything. He'd learned that he couldn't deny his feelings towards her any longer.

But he still had to lay all the cards on the table for her tonight.

His power had also increased drastically after his last recovery. He believed that his base power now exceeded that of his rival, but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't yet ascend, but he felt the power within him and knew that it was only a matter of time. He focused his attention deeply on the power he felt resonating inside. He didn't how long it would take, but he knew that he eventually ascend. He would surpass Kakarot.

Nothing special happened the rest of the day. Lunch and dinner came and went as normal, with Vegeta attacking his meal like a lion, Dr. Brief reading his newspaper and Mrs. Brief chiming while preparing her luscious meals. Only this time, Bulma would spend a lot of time stroking Vegeta's hair and smiling at him. He let it slide and simply continued eating, though on the inside he loved her touch and smile. Mrs. Brief smiled seeing Vegeta allow her daughter to touch him in such an affectionate manner but surprisingly, she didn't say anything. Most likely, she didn't want to turn them off or embarrass them. Seeing it was enough for her. Before and after meals Bulma and her father would return to working on the gravity chamber, while Vegeta would focus on his mind training.

It was 9:00 pm.

Bulma entered her room and saw the silhouette of a figure sitting on her bed, facing the opposite direction from her.

"W-W-Who's t-t-there?"

She opened her light and saw Vegeta shirtless and wearing a pair of black track pants. She sighed in relief.

"Don't scare me like that!" She said, sternly.

He remained in his spot, eyes shut and mind focused. This was the moment of truth. This was when he would get his answer. He didn't want to imagine spending his life alone, without the touch, warmth and desire of the woman he loved. But he would not violate his honor either. Either she accepted him forever or rejected him. He would not lie to her, trick her or coerce her. He would tell her the truth and all the implications that went with it… He owed her that much.

Bulma noticed that something was wrong and went over, about to sit next to him when he put his hand up, indicating for her to stop.

"Woman… you reek… Take a shower and change your clothes." He said, in a serious tone. He didn't like the smell of metal, grease and grime marring her sweet soothing scent.

"Vegeta!" She yelled, but then realized he was right. She then spoke seductively, "Well… wanna join me?"

"I already cleansed myself."

Bulma groused at being turned off like that.

"Fine… It's your loss." She sighed and then made her way to the shower.

As she was showering, she was constantly feeling more and more apprehensive.

'He's so serious. He's never been that serious in a long time…' Bulma mused, 'Then again, we have only been together one day… But still, I can't help but wonder what's on his mind. I'm not sure, but I know one thing for a fact. We will be together… He and I… always.'

Vegeta meanwhile was continuing to focus on his mind training. He was more relaxed and composed than he had been in a while, no longer being eaten away from the inside by thoughts of the blue-haired woman. He did love her but he would train for the sole purpose of protecting her. He knew that if she rejected him, he might lose his sanity. She had to accept him, but he wouldn't try and influence her decision this way or that. It would be hers and hers entirely. This decision would alter her life one way or another so she would have to make it entirely on her own accord.

Bulma finished showering and threw her clothes in the dirty hamper beside the bed. She put on a new pair of underwear and a bra and changed into a relatively loose short silk blue knee-level sleep dress.

She sat down next to Vegeta and draped her arm over his shoulder, placing her other hand on his lap.

"Hey," She smiled at him, speaking in a warm tone, "What's on your mind?"

"There's a lot you must know." He replied, in a serious tone.

"Okay… Tell me."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Prince of her dreams

Vegeta moved on the bed, sitting in a kneeling position, facing in her direction. She was feeling apprehensive about the situation. She did likewise facing him and put her hands on his knees affectionately.

"Vegeta… please tell me." Bulma pleaded, a look of concern etched on her face.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her before answering.

"I absolutely refuse to violate my honor as a Saiyan…" He stated, "A Saiyan is forbidden from mating with species from the outside."

Bulma gasped and removed her hands from his knees and held her fisted hand onto her heart, which began pounding against her chest. She was looking down despondently. Would he really reject her? They had just gotten together for one day and she felt happier than she ever had before. How could he do this to her? Why bring her here and why show all the affection he had in the hospital and in the shower, if he was going to cast her aside? Her lips began quivering.

"However… since there are no more female Saiyans…" Vegeta stated, "That rule no longer applies."

Bulma shot her gaze up to him and sighed in relief. But there was still apprehension eating away at her from inside. What more was there?

"Even if there were other Saiyans," He stated, "I… I would not choose them over you…"

He told her the truth. He wanted her to be secure and calm. Bulma looked at him. Tears were glistening her eyes and he gave her a warning glare, so she held them back. She could not show weakness in front of him… It was now or never. She had to pass whatever test or trial he was putting her through. She would do whatever she had to do, to be his and for him to be hers.

"I refuse to engage in a silly human relationship like you had with the scar-faced warrior." He told Bulma.

Bulma frowned at him.

"What do you mean?"

"When a Saiyan mates with someone…" He explained, "They are mated forever. There is no going back, no matter what."

Bulma gasped. She never knew about this. She did want Vegeta, but did she want to close all roads to anyone else? She thought about it for a moment. Yes, she did. She didn't care about anyone else. The love, comfort, warmth and security that he gave her, was something no other could give… of that she was certain.

"Yes…" Bulma said looking at him hopefully, "I want-"

"There's more." Vegeta interrupted.

Her smile left her and she nodded her head for him to continue.

"When I say forever…" He began, "It means forever. Even if one mate dies, the other is forbidden from having anyone else. They must spend the rest of their life… alone."

Bulma pondered for a moment. Even if Vegeta died she couldn't have anyone else. If she wanted him she would have to hold true to that promise… Yes, she would do it. She would accept his proposal.

"That's fine with me." She stated firmly, furrowing her brows.

"You're not thinking straight, woman…" Vegeta said, "There's a chance I might die in the battle against the androids. That is a little over two years from now. If you make this commitment and I fall in battle, you will have to spend the rest of your life alone… Is that really what you want?"

Bulma couldn't hold her tears after hearing that and jumped at Vegeta embracing him. Even the thought of him dying made her heart wrench and she felt as if her entire being had crumbled.

"You won't die… You can't die." She sobbed, "I won't let it happen… ever."

Vegeta pulled her back gently.

"There's nothing you can do to stop it woman." He said maintaining his stoic expression, though on the inside he could feel her sorrow, "If I'm not strong enough and I fall, would you really be willing to have no one else?"

Bulma's tears kept falling and she kept sniffling and sobbing. She pressed her head against his chest, letting it all out. Vegeta held her against his chest, allowing her a moment to think.

What if he really did die, like he was considering? Would she really want to be miserable all her life? To be alone for all those years, with nothing but the memory of the man she loved? She thought about it for a moment, the tears now ceasing.

She looked up into his obsidian eyes and gave her answer.

"Yes I would be. I don't care about anyone else." She confessed and then took on a soft tone, "Just you… What I feel for you, I've never felt for anyone and I would give anything to be with you…"

"But it may well be short-lived…" He said, "And afterwards you may end up a miserable shell of the woman you are now. Would you really be willing to live like that? This feeling of yours towards me may well end up being your undoing. Having everything you ever wanted and then having it taken away – there's no experience worse than that. It destroyed me and turned me into a shell of what I should've been… You're the only reason I'm no longer the monster Frieza morphed me into… I lost my life and everything that mattered to me, but you gave me a new life and a new purpose - something much greater than ever before. You were there to provide me comfort when I had nothing and no one. Who will be there to provide you all that, should I fall?"

Bulma moved to sit on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, as she sobbed against the crook of his neck, letting all her tears out. His words made her burn with happiness and sorrow at the same time. To hear him tell her what she meant to him, that she was his reason for abandoning his wicked ways, that she was his source of comfort and that his life with her was greater than any life he would or could have ever known, provided her with happiness. But she was plagued with sorrow, when considering the possibility of him being killed and leaving her alone. She couldn't handle the thought of him dying, let alone bear it happening in real life. But what good would abandoning him do? If he was doomed to fall in battle, why not savor every last moment she had left with him? It would do her no good to reject him and then have him die. No one could give her the comfort he could and she wanted every last moment with him to last.

Her tears ceased and she moved back, eyes still glistening and a warm smile etched across her beautiful face.

"Its okay Vegeta, I've made my decision." She captured his lips in a passionate kiss. After a moment he kissed her back, but a while later, he moved his head back.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Vegeta, listen carefully." She said, frowning, "Like I said before, I don't care about anyone else. I only want you… forever."

"But-"

"I know you want to protect me," She interrupted, her eyes narrowed, "But this is my decision and mine alone."

"I do not you living a life filled with fear, death, loneliness and sorrow the way I did…" He stated, "Especially if I am the cause of it."

"I don't care Vegeta…" She said, eyes still narrowed, "All I know is what I want now and what I want is you."

Vegeta sighed. She went on.

"Vegeta, listen to me." She said, now smiling warmly, looking into his obsidian eyes, "One moment with you means more to me than a lifetime with anyone else."

Vegeta gasped. He froze at those words. He really was that important to her. He really was everything to her, just as she was to him and he was her world, just as she was his.

"If fate does curse us and you fall in battle, I won't allow my life to be a ruin." She told him.

"How?"

"I'll still have you to hold onto."

"How?" Vegeta repeated.

"Like you said Vegeta," Bulma answered, "Once we're mated, we're mated forever, even if one of us dies. I know in my heart that you won't die, but even if you do, I know that you'll still be with me. A part of you will still be inside me to bring me comfort and lift me up whenever I'm down…"

Vegeta smiled inwardly.

Bulma spoke on.

"Besides…" She went on, "I've already felt your warmth, your touch, your embrace and your… love. Now I know that's what I want… that's the only thing I truly want and it's too late for you to take it back."

His love? He knew that's what it was, but hearing it from her rendered him motionless for a moment. He then looked at her, concern embedded in his eyes, betraying his stoic facade.

"You know how dangerous this road is." He said, "Once you choose this path, there's no going back."

Bulma smiled at him and kissed him gently.

"I've always loved danger," She said, "If I didn't love danger I wouldn't have chosen you. I thrive on danger… Yamcha was safe to be with… safe and boring, nothing like you. All those years I was with him, something inside of me knew that wasn't what I wanted. I ignored that part of me and it kept growing over the years and it took a long time, but I finally realized that what I really wanted was someone like you… You command respect. You dictate your own authority. You don't let anyone push you around or tell you what to do. You're relentless, proud, brave, free, brazen and fun to be with… Even if I knew you would die tomorrow, I would want to be your mate this one night. I wouldn't regret any of it and I wouldn't be with anyone else again all my life. This one day with you meant far more to me than all my years together with Yamcha… This was the best day of my life. And if I'm with you, I know the days ahead will only get better."

Vegeta was bursting with pride from the inside from hearing her words, her complements and especially at her confession that a day with him meant more to her than all her years with the scar-faced warrior. He smirked at her. Everything he said, she had an answer to. She truly was amazing. With him she was elated like never before, as was he with her. She accepted him, she wanted him, she needed him and she loved him… He loved her. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn't. Vegeta embraced her warmly, holding onto her firmly. They stayed their positions for a while, before Vegeta pulled back and pointed his finger towards the light switch, flicking it off using his Ki, so only the light of the night-sky, the glittering stars and the ethereal gleam of the moon allowed them to see one-another. Bulma gasped, then smiled warmly at him after realizing what he had done. He could see her smile and it softened his heart even more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, embracing him and he responded in kind, draping his own arms around her waist. After a while she spoke.

"I want you to be mine, Vegeta… and I want to be yours… forever." She cooed into his ear and after a while softly whispered the words that set a spark inside of him, "I love you… my Prince."

Vegeta's eyes widened at her calling him that. She never had before. The only ones who'd ever called him that were his Saiyan comrades and his mother. That was it for Vegeta. Hearing her soft delicate voice muttering those last words directly into his ear did it for him. It skyrocketed his need to tell her how he felt. He had to say it. He needed to tell her. He needed to let it out of his system. Vegeta took a deep breath, in and out.

"I love you… my Princess." He closed his eyes as he softly murmured the words into her ear. He didn't feel shame. He didn't feel regret. He didn't loathe himself for his words. He felt relief and comfort, as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and his mind was as clear as water. He could see the light now. He would have a new life with his Princess.

Bulma's eyes widened like never before and she felt butterflies in her stomach. He said it. He told her the one thing she wanted to hear, the one thing she thought she would never hear him say. Her heart was fluttering. Joy and happiness resonated in every fiber of her being. This was the happiest moment in all her life and she would savor every second of it. He was the one. He was the Prince she had always dreamed of, since she was a little girl. And she was his Princess… now and forever (A/N: A little fast, I know, but hey… who's keeping score?).


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Three days

Vegeta inhaled Bulma's scent deeply letting it flow through him in a wave of peace and comfort. He moved his head back and froze upon seeing the most beautiful smile on her face he'd seen so far and seeing her eyes glistening with tears.

He moved back towards her, kissing her forehead.

"Do not cry." He scolded.

Bulma looked down.

"S-sorry, I'm just… so happy… after hearing you say that… I never thought I would… This is the happiest moment of my life."

Vegeta lifted her up chin up with his index finger and captured her lips in a deep passionate kiss. She kissed back and they continued sucking each other's lips for a short while.

It would seen be time to initiate the bond: the sacred Saiyan bond between a male and a female. She may not have been a Saiyan, but she may as well have been. Her persistence, fiery attitude, strong will, powerful resolve and love for danger embodied everything a Saiyan female was. The only thing she was missing was physical strength. Maybe he could provide a remedy for that. A moment of silence followed. Bulma looked at Vegeta, perplexed.

"Vegeta?"

"Three days." He said, after taking a breath.

"Three… days?" She asked, curious as to what he meant.

"That's when we bond…" He answered, his head tilted towards the ground.

"Why not… now?"

"That would violate tradition."

Bulma looked at him a while, she spoke.

"Alright, Vegeta…" She agreed, sighing, "Can't say I'm too happy about it, but… I can wait."

Vegeta was still looking down on the floor. His face showed a hint of dejection. Bulma noticed that and felt slightly insecure.

"Vegeta… what's wrong?"

He paused for a while, then sighed, looking at her.

"For three days we are forbidden from seeing each other."

"What?" Bulma shot him an expression full of shock. He immediately averted his gaze back down on the floor.

A moment of silence ensued. Bulma would have to spend three days without seeing him and without feeling his warm touch and embrace? A little while ago, she would do anything to get three days of freedom from her surly houseguest, but now things were completely different. Could she do it? She thought for a moment. Three days would be difficult, but it would be more than worth it if it mean they would be together for the rest of their lives. She concentrated on his expression more closely and saw the discomforted state he was in. She knew he was as disheartened by the situation as she was, so she decided to comfort him. She lifted his face with her hand underneath his chin and gave him a benevolent smile.

"It's okay, Vegeta…" She said and kissed him, "I'll wait. I won't bother you or come to-"

"That won't work…" He interrupted, "I have to leave this place."

Bulma removed her hand, her smile dissipating. She looked down dejectedly and spoke after a pause.

"But… why?" She asked, melancholically.

"It's better for the both of us…" He answered, "The closer we are the more we long for each other… You know this is the best course of action."

Now it was Vegeta who lifted her face up and captured her lips in a heartfelt kiss. Bulma eventually kissed back and they continued tasting each other's lips. Then she finally pulled back looking at him.

"Vegeta…" She smiled, "Stay with me tonight… Please?"

Vegeta thought for a while and then nodded his head in the affirmative. She kissed him once and after that he let his hands free. She got up from him and lay down on the right side of the bed, putting her sheet over her and facing the opposite direction. Vegeta was confused and feeling rejected. Why would she face away from him? Did he make her angry? If so, why would she ask him to stay with her?

"Vegeta…" She said softly. "Hold me."

"What?" He asked after a moment of pause, even more baffled than before.

"Just come close to me and wrap your arms underneath my chest."

"How come?"

"That's how partners are supposed to lie down together when they sleep."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her, though she couldn't see. He breathed a sigh of relief. So she wasn't disappointed with him. That was just some Earthling custom. He may as well go along with it.

Bulma heard as Vegeta changed his clothes. He took of his track pants and cast them aside. They weren't dirty, since he'd just changed into them after showering. He was wearing only a navy blue pair of boxers. He hopped onto the bed, got underneath the sheet with her and wrapping his arms underneath her chest, spooning her, as she suggested he do. His touch began to wear away all her feelings of worry and apprehension. It felt the same for him.

He placed his face next to hers and she firmly held onto his forearm. She sighed in relief, letting out all her worries and frustration and placing her hands over his.

"Goodnight… Vegeta."

"Goodnight… Princess."

Bulma lost all her words and her heart fluttered. She smiled in response. His words contented her. He knew it would shut her up but most of all, he wanted to ease her pain… and he wanted to express once more what he truly saw her as… his Princess.

He smiled at that thought for the first time in a very long time. Se felt it and her smile broadened - even though she couldn't see his, she had felt it. It was very real, not some mischievous smirk he usually had on his face. Soon the two fell asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Apart

It was morning.

Vegeta and Bulma were still soundly asleep, with the former still spooning her.

Mrs. Brief walked into the room and her heart fluttered at the sight she saw before her. She placed her hand over heart as she saw both of them lying together. They looked so peaceful with each other and it broadened the smile that was almost always embedded in her expression. She didn't want to disturb them so she left the room and closed the door gently, heading downstairs to the kitchen.

She began cooking and a while later, Dr. Brief walked in, having washed his face and scrubbed his teeth.

"Hello, dear."

She looked at him, beaming.

"Oh hi, darling."

"You seem unusually happy today." He said, looking at her intriguingly.

"Well I just saw Bulma and Vegeta sleeping and they just looked so adorable together." She said.

Dr. Brief's eyes widened for a brief moment, but then he recalled yesterday's incidents.

"Well…" He said, "Why don't go you wake them up for breakfast?"

"I just don't have the heart to…" She responded after a while, "They just look so peaceful the way they are."

"I see…" He stated simply.

'Wow, they sure are taking things a tad bit fast… Oh well, its their own darn business.' He thought, smiling. He knew that Vegeta was very troubled, the moment he saw him. He saw it in those cold endless obsidian eyes of his – a man who had witnessed unimaginable horrors all his life. But if anyone could help him, it was Bulma. He knew it may be risky, but he could also tell that Vegeta wouldn't do anything to hurt her. If he would, she'd be dead already – no one had talked back to him the way she did and they'd most likely be six feet under if they tried.

~~~~

Vegeta's eyes opened up and he saw the position he was in and remembered all that had happened last night. He let out a deep sigh, knowing that this was it. He would have to leave her now. If she woke up and he saw the despair in her beautiful blue eyes, he may have second thoughts. So he released his grip on her and put on the black track pants he'd taken off the night before.

He went over to her bathroom, washed his face, pulled out a new toothbrush from the vanity cupboard, applied toothpaste to it and scrubbed his teeth, before rinsing out his mouth. After finishing, he placed a soap packet, a new toothpaste bottle, the toothbrush he just used (as well as a spare toothbrush), a small towel, some shampoo and some face wash into a small box by the side, which he capsulized. He placed the capsule in his right pocket and zipped it up. He then left the bathroom, gently closing the door and strolled over to her side of the bed. He bent down and gently kissed Bulma on the lips. She kissed back and he pulled his face back, eyes widened. How could he have been so stupid?

"Vegeta…" She mumbled softly, "I love you…"

Vegeta's heart was pounding against his chest at the words. But soon he realized that she was just sleep talking. Her words still send jolts of electricity throughout his body. Each time she told him that, it had that very same effect on him.

He quietly let out a sigh of relief, before heading over to the balcony doors. He opened them and took one look back.

"Goodbye… Princess." He said in a quiet, dejected tone, before stepping out and flying out of the compound, with no particular destination in mind.

Bulma's eyes opened up slowly, a few seconds after Vegeta had left.

"… Vegeta?"

She didn't feel his embrace behind her any longer and turned around to confirm her suspicions. He'd left her alone… The open balcony door she saw right afterwards was proof of that. Tears began glistening her cerulean eyes and began dropping one after another, until she began sobbing and crying against her pillow. She wanted him to at least have woken up with her and see him face-to-face before he said goodbye.

He told her he loved her. She felt his love and knew it was real, more real than anything she'd felt or seen before. So why wasn't he here to bid her farewell? She knew he would return and even though it was three days, it felt a lot longer to her.

'Why couldn't he be here?' She thought sadly, tears still running in rivulets down her cheek. She continued crying for a moment, but then suddenly stopped.

'Of course he loves me… more than anything. How can I even question that… at all? God knows how difficult it must have been for someone as proud as him to say those words. He'd probably never said them his entire life… to anyone. It was probably the hardest thing he ever had to say.' She thought and after a while she made some sense of it, 'He probably couldn't bear to leave if he saw me looking all sad and miserable… It makes sense… He would do anything to be here, I just know it, but he has to follow through with this, because he's the Saiyan Prince. Honor means everything to him… Soon I'll be his Princess… I should never even think to question him like that.'

"Vegeta…" She whispered to herself, "Please… Come back soon… I love you…"

She got up from the bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face and scrub her teeth, likewise pulling out a new toothbrush as Vegeta had. She noticed some accessories missing and smiled, knowing that Vegeta had taken them with him.

She headed downstairs for breakfast. She sat on the chair, closest her father, instead of her usual one. She needed to be close to someone. She needed comfort.

"Hi, Bulma dear… Where's Vegeta?" Asked Mrs. Brief.

Bulma forced a smile and answered.

"He needed to go away for a while." She answered, "But he'll be back soon."

"Oh… where'd he go?" Dr. Brief asked.

"I'm not sure exactly…" She replied, looking at the floor despondently, "But in a few days he'll return and we'll be…"

She stopped in her tracks, realizing that she was just about to spill the biggest state secret. She couldn't tell them just yet, not until Vegeta approved.

"You'll be what darling?" Mrs. Brief asked.

"Well… I can't say mom." She answered, "I promised not to… But you'll know soon enough…"

Dr. Brief frowned at her.

"Bulma… what's going on?"

Bulma gave him a warning glare that immediately told him to stay off her case and so he did.

"Well, whatever it is, I hope you have a great time Bulma." Said Mrs. Brief laughing, misconstruing her words in God knows what way.

"Thanks mom…" Bulma said, rolling her eyes.

"Bulma, dear… You look sad." Dr. Brief said after a while.

She looked at him, eyes glistening.

"I just don't know how I'll spend all these days without him…" She said, "I miss him already and it's barely been 10 minutes."

Dr. Brief saw the disheveled look engrained on her face. He'd never seen her so down before, other than when Vegeta was unconscious for over a week and she stayed by his side in the hospital, until he woke up just yesterday. She deeply cared about Vegeta. Her feelings for Vegeta were a lot deeper than they ever were for Yamcha and he could see that.

"Bulma dear… It's okay…" Dr. Brief said, putting a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "If there's one thing I know, it's that Vegeta wouldn't want you to go carrying on like this."

Bulma smiled at her father's reassuring words and was glad that he was so accepting of Vegeta.

"Thanks dad…"

"Bulma dear… I'm sure some pancakes will cheer you up!" Said her mother.

"Yeah, sure thing mom." She said smiling up at her. Her father was right. She would not mope. She was to be the Princess of one of the most powerful beings in existence: a relentless, courageous warrior whose pride shook the very foundations of the Universe… a Prince. If anything, she should be happy.

"By the way, Bulma," Began Mrs. Brief, "The two of you looked so sweet together holding each other like that… It was lovely."

Bulma nearly fell off her chair.

"W-W-What?" She spoke.

"Yeah I saw…" Mrs. Brief replied, "I thought it was beautiful…"

"Y-You s-s-saw u-us?" Bulma asked.

Mrs. Brief nodded her head, a broad smile etched on her face.

"It was wonderful dear…" She said, "I always knew you'd be the perfect couple… This is like a dream come true."

Bulma blushed. She'd never have anticipated this.

"W-Well…. y-y-yeah… I g-guess s-so." She said.

Mrs. Brief smiled at her and blabbered on about them getting married and having children and all the rest of it. Bulma and Dr. Brief both rolled their eyes.

~~~~


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Breakfast

Vegeta spend the next few moments flying around the world, looking for a suitable place to settle in for a while.

'Maybe I should go spar with that clown Kakarot.' He thought, 'It may be a good opportunity for me to test my new power… He is the only one who will be able to make me draw out the limits of my strength… But I know for certain that a battle with him will leave the both of us injured badly and since I cannot return to Capsule Corporation, that poses major dilemma… Perhaps if he has some of those beans it'll all work out…'

With that thought in mind, Vegeta smirked and sensed out his rival's energy, before flying towards him. The younger Saiyan was still in his house, with the rest of his family.

~~~~

Goku was eating breakfast with the rest of his family. Piccolo was on the side meditating and they immediately looked at each other. Gohan looked back and forth between the two of them. Then he sensed it too and gasped. At that same time, Chi-Chi was bringing two large bowls to the table, one filled with fish salad and the other with beef stir-fry – both extremely delectable – her cooking skills were renowned and off-the-chart.

"Vegeta?" Gohan frowned at his father. At that same moment Chi-Chi placed the bowls on the table.

"Huh?" Asked a confused Chi-Chi.

"Vegeta's heading this way…" Goku looked at his wife, eyes narrowed, "But why?"

Chi-Chi gasped and placed her fisted hand on her fluttering heart.

"Goku?" She asked, her voice embedded with concern, "… What're you gonna do?"

"Don't worry about me, Chi-Chi…" He told her, "I highly doubt he means any harm…"

Chi-Chi continued looking at him anxiously for a while.

"Goku… please be careful…" She pleaded.

"It's alright Chi-Chi." He reassured, getting up off his chair.

"Want me to come with you dad?" Asked an apprehensive Gohan, though he was not as apprehensive as his mother. Gohan respected Vegeta… After all he owed the Saiyan Prince his life… Sure Gohan saved him once too, but Vegeta saved his life a grand total of four times (A/N: Gohan saved Vegeta from Recoome and Vegeta saved him from Guldo, Jeice, Captain Ginyu, aka Captain Frog and final form Frieza). In addition he'd been there to witness his heart-wrenching tale of the tragedy and horrors he underwent as a child, just before he perished as a result of a mortal wound inflicted on him by Frieza. Furthermore after being wished back to life, it was he who gave them the idea of wishing back his father to the check-in-station between the Earth realm and the spirit realm, so that, when wished back, he wouldn't materialize in the empty space that was once Namek and consequently die as a result of suffocation. Although his father was still alive, as they found out later, that piece of advice came in handy when wishing back Krillin. His motives for all of the above may have been selfish, but the bottom line was that they were all indebted to him. But even then, he couldn't help but question his motives for coming here at this time. Why now?

"No son… Stay here with your mom and Piccolo." He answered, brows furrowed.

He bolted out of the house and flew towards his oncoming rival.

A short while later, the two stopped just as they neared each other.

"Hey, Vegeta." Goku smiled at his rival.

"Kakarot." Greeted Vegeta, in his own way, smirking. "… I trust you know why I'm here."

"Let me guess," He said, though he didn't have to guess at all, "… You wanna spar right?"

Vegeta's smirk broadened into a grin. A few seconds later, however, the vigorous atmosphere was cut in half by a loud rumbling sound.

Vegeta blushed and tilted his face towards the ground.

Goku looked at him for a second, confused, but when he realized what was going on, he began laughing hysterically.

"SHUT UP YOU FOOL!"

Goku cringed at the sound of his voice and looked up at him. He spoke after a short moment.

"Follow me Vegeta." He said, flying back to where he came from.

Vegeta frowned, but followed along. Soon after, he realized where they were headed.

"Why're you taking me to your that… abode of yours?" He asked suspiciously.

"I know you're hungry Vegeta…" He answered, after a while, "And Chi-Chi prepares the best meals in the world, so-."

Vegeta stopped in his tracks, while Goku was speaking. The younger Saiyan noticed this. He too stopped and went back over to his rival.

"What's wrong, Vegeta?" Asked Goku.

"I can find my own goddamn meal Kakarot!" He exclaimed in response.

"Oh come on Vegeta…" Pleaded Goku, "Don't be like that, I'll bet anything Chi-Chi's meal will be the best thing you'll ever taste."

"I doubt that." Replied Vegeta.

"Wanna bet?" Challenged Goku, smirking.

"No need… I'll come back when I finish tending to my… needs." He said and was about to leave, only to be cut off.

"What's the matter?" Goku asked, smirking, "Afraid you'll lose?"

Vegeta turned around, snarling at him.

"Come on Vegeta." He said pleadingly. He then smiled, "I know you'll want a good meal and Chi-Chi only makes the best… So just follow me."

Vegeta groused and paused for a while. He didn't know this area too well. Finding game would be easy enough, but it would waste time, plus he'd have to skin it, clean it out, cut it up and cook it, which would waste even more time… Not that he cared. That may actually be a good thing. He'd have to wait less time to return home to his woman to-be. But then again, he was intrigued by his rival's claims about his mate's cooking. In the end, his curiosity won out.

"Do not think this makes us friends, Kakarot!" He grumbled.

"Same old Vegeta." He said smirking and then took off towards Mount Paozu, followed by the older Saiyan.

They arrived in front of Goku's house and he entered inside, the Saiyan Prince hot on his heels.

Piccolo and Gohan immediately shot their gazes towards the direction of the two Saiyans, their eyes widening.

"Dad?" Gohan spoke.

"Vegeta?" Piccolo followed in suite.

Chi-Chi gasped when she heard that name. She looked up and saw what was in front of her eyes.

"G-G-Goku…" She began, scared out of her wits, "W-W-W-What's h-h-he d-d-doing h-h-here?"

"Relax Chi-Chi." He smiled, "I invited him here."

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" She yelled at him.

All four inhabitants cringed at the insanely loud sound of her voice.

"WILL YOU SHUT-UP YOU GOD DAMN HARPY?!" Vegeta snarled, after getting himself together. That was about the most painful sound he'd ever heard all his life.

Now it was Chi-Chi's turn to cringe, along with the other three present.

After recovering, she walked up to him and repeatedly poked him in the chest, as she shouted.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT YOU ANIMAL?! THIS IS MY HOUSE, NOT YOURS, NOW LEA-"

Chi-Chi's outburst was muffled all of a sudden, as Goku placed his hand over her mouth and wrapped his other hand underneath her chest, pulling her back, just in time. Vegeta may not have been able to hold himself back from blasting her. That insane voice of hers was threatening to crush his ear-drums.

"Chi-Chi, please this is no time for arguments." Pleaded Goku, slowly lifting his hand off her mouth afterwards.

Vegeta was about to talk back, but was surprised at his rival's response to the whole situation. If someone shouted at Bulma and called her a 'harpy' (apart from himself), no matter the cause, he'd blast them into oblivion.

"Goku?!" She turned around reprimanding him, after he released his hand underneath her chest, though not nearly as loud this time. Her anger was mainly focused on the arrogant Saiyan Prince, who happened to be in her house. "Why'd you invite him here?!"

"Well I told him how great your cooking was and he disagreed, so-" Goku began to explain.

"WHAT?!" She yelled excessively loud, interrupted her husband, before turning around and glaring at Vegeta. She walked over to him, everything else all but forgotten. She stuck her face out to him. The Saiyan Prince shrank back at her tone and action. She significantly lowered the sound and pitch of her voice, though it was still somewhat loud. "I'll have you know my culinary skills are by far the best, the world has ever seen!"

"Uh… What's… culinary?" Asked a confused Vegeta, after a moment of pause, placing emphasis on the last word, his anger all but replaced by curiosity, especially since the harpy had toned down.

"It means cooking skills, numbnuts." She said pulling her face back, the loudness in her voice, all but lost and a smirk etched on her face. Her tone softened at Vegeta's innocent question, which reminded her, a lot of Goku – must have been a Saiyan thing. Her mind was blind to everything other than showing his Royal Highness that she really was the very best there was when it came to cooking. She turned around, heading back to the kitchen, "I'll show you just how good I am… No one compares."

Vegeta was at a complete loss. The female species truly were an enigma - shifting from one mood from the next on such a frequent basis.

Goku pulled out a chair on the opposite side to where he and Gohan were seated, afterwards proceeding to sit down on his own spot.

"Have a seat Vegeta."

Vegeta hesitated for the slightest moment, but then went and sat down. He was looking at the table, wondering what he should do. Vegeta was ensorcelled by the aromas of the dishes before him. Maybe there was some truth to what his rival was saying.

Goku noticed how taken Vegeta was…

"Well, what're you waiting for Vegeta?" Goku asked, "Have something to eat."

"No, Goku." Said Chi-Chi who, after adding water into an extremely large boiling pot for pre-heating as well as a large sized frying pan nearby having a good amount of oil in it, which was set on low heat. She then began dicing up several cabbages with extreme precision, at ridiculously crazy speeds. "He's going to wait and taste the greatest and freshest versions of two of my finest dishes."

Goku shrugged his shoulders and continued eating, while Chi-Chi proceeded to add the finely-cut up cabbage pieces in a large bowl, adding in several exotic herbs and spices to it, before grabbing a huge piece of lamb and shoving it inside a large meat mincer. She kneaded the minced meat for a while, before adding it into the bowl with the diced cabbage inside and finely mixing everything up in a perfect blend. She then placed several dozen wonton wrappers in a large tray, before proceeding to take small bits of the mix, neatly shape them up and place them on the wontons, wrapping each one up intricately to form beautiful elegant looking dumplings. She then added the dumplings to the boiling pot, followed by a whole heap of udon noodles, some bok choy leaves and more exotic herbs and spices, salt and pepper, soy sauce and some diced up chilies. She then proceeded to blend together a unique egg roll mix, which she placed on several dozen egg roll wraps, before wrapping each one up into a neat package and then quickly placing them in the frying pan, carefully keeping a close eye on both and tending to them as required. She was phenomenal at multi-tasking.

While that was happening, Goku felt the need to make conversation. The silence didn't seem too healthy in his eyes.

"So Vegeta…" Goku asked, fixing a curious gaze on his rival, "We've never sparred before… Why the sudden urge now?"

Vegeta looked at him indifferently. He then remembered that he needed a distraction during the time he was away from his woman to-be, so he wouldn't go insane with thoughts about her. But he couldn't tell the younger Saiyan that. But maybe he'd have to tell him soon. He didn't think about that before, but he shook the thought from his mind, instead opting to tell his rival a half-truth.

"The gravity chamber's gone, so…" He explained, "You know?"

Goku thought for a while, but then remembered what had happened the week prior.

"Oh, yeah… True…" He responded, before another thought hit him, "But why today? Why not yesterday?"

Vegeta's cover seemed to be fading.

"Because… I felt like it okay!" He exclaimed, "Now shut-up!"

Goku paused for a while and then remembered what he had seen yesterday when he dropped in on Vegeta to give him a senzu bean.

"Oh… I get it…" He said, smirking knowingly in a teasing manner, "You were spending time with-"

Vegeta shot him one of his most dangerous warning glares…

'Don't say it Kakarot!' He spoke to him through mind, 'You gave the woman your word!'

It was a whole new experience for Goku. The only time he spoke telepathically was with King Kai. He widened his eyes at Vegeta.

"Vegeta… Did you just, speak telepa-"

'That's right Kakarot… And remember what you swore…' He told him, 'Not a word about me and the woman!'

"Uh… Sorry Vegeta…" He responded apologetically and after a while furrowed his brows solemnly, "I won't tell anyone… ever…"

"You won't tell anyone what dad?" Asked Gohan, looking confusedly between the two.

'Speak through your mind idiot…' Vegeta told him.

"Oh… okay… I… I can do that?" He asked.

"Do what, dad?" Asked Gohan, as perplexed as ever, "What're you talking about?"

"N-N-Nothing… s-son…" Goku told him.

Gohan shrugged his shoulders and simply continued eating his meal. Maybe his father was having some sort of episode… Too many blows to the head, perhaps.

'Pureblooded Saiyans can communicate with mind.' Vegeta explained to him.

'Oh wow… I never knew that.' Goku thought back.

'You can hide your thoughts as well, which you probably should…' Vegeta advised, 'I'd rather not know what goes on in that brainless head of yours.'

"Hey!" Goku exclaimed, making the face of a child that had just been scolded, "That wasn't very nice!"

'Mind, moron…' Vegeta responded with his thoughts, '… See, this is exactly what I mean.'

Piccolo rolled his eyes and continued concentrating on his meditation. The Namek's unique abilities allowed him to hone in on the conversation that was taking place between the two Saiyans. But he wouldn't tell either of them. Besides, he already knew that Vegeta and Bulma would get together, since he'd heard every word of the conversation that took place between Future Trunks and Goku. Though it did seem a little early. Either way he was pleased inwardly that things were happening as they should, even if it were a tad bit soon.

Gohan looked back and forth between them for a while.

"Dad… Who're you talking to?" Gohan looked at his father quizzically. Goku turned towards him.

"W-well… I… uh… N-n-no one, son." Answered Goku.

Gohan looked at him for a with one eyebrow raised, before sighing.

"Dad…" He began, "I really think you need to get your head examined…"

Upon hearing what the young demi-Saiyan boy said, Vegeta immediately burst into a howl of laughter.

Chi-Chi turned around and looked at the scene, completely bewildered by what had made Vegeta guffaw like that. That was not what she had imagined Vegeta to be like. She'd only seen him briefly once before and that was when they were going to wish Goku back with Namek's dragon balls, only to learn that he was out in space and wished to return on his own accord. One quick look in his direction and all she saw was a cold-hearted, vicious monster – the man who'd nearly killed her husband and son as well as her friends and the man responsible for the deaths of four of the Z fighters. Though last week, after Goku told her that he saved Gohan's life as well as his own and that he strongly believed he could change, her ill will towards the surly Prince had largely dissipated, though she was still apprehensive about him. However, seeing him in such cheerful spirits made her think otherwise. It wasn't en evil or sadistic laugh, but one engrained in genuine humor.

'Maybe Goku was right.' She smiled inwardly, 'Well either way, I'll think about that later. I should focus on making these. I want it to be perfect and not spoiled in the least because I was too distracted with my own thoughts to concentrate – my reputation must be upheld.'

"There's only one probably with that kid…" Vegeta said after a while, still laughing, "There's nothing there to examine…"

He proceeded to laugh hysterically at his own joke. Gohan paused for a while, looking at Vegeta, perplexedly, before expressing a few nervous chuckles of his own and eventually joining Vegeta in a fit of insane laughter.

"You're both such mean jerks." Said Goku pouting and sulking like a child, "Hmph.".

Vegeta immediately realized what he was doing and quickly seized his laughter, taking on his stoic expression once again. Gohan looked at his father.

"Gosh… I'm sorry dad…" Said Gohan, an apologetic look on his face. He didn't like to see his father insulted like that. "It's just that… you were… talking to yourself…"

Vegeta snickered at the child's ignorance. Gohan noticed.

"What's so funny, Vegeta?" He asked. He then heard Piccolo snicker as well, just barely though. He turned around, "Piccolo? What's going on?"

Just in time a large bowl filled with golden brown egg rolls slammed onto the table, caught a distracted Gohan by surprise, causing him to jump.

Vegeta looked at Chi-Chi, eyes widened.

"Egg rolls?" He asked fervently.

"The very best egg rolls." She answered, smirking, knowing by his expression, how taken Vegeta was with the dish set before him.

Vegeta frowned. The Saiyan Prince couldn't be too sure. He'd always been told that if something was too good to be true then it probably was. Then again, the whole idea of him bonding with Bulma was far greater than anything he could imagine and yet it was something real. Even then, he had to keep his guard up. He picked one up and sniffed it. His eyes widened at the tantalizing smell of it.

Chi-Chi laughed at his actions and he scowled at her.

"How do I know you didn't poison this, harpy?" He asked suspiciously, after a while.

Chi-Chi gaped at him, completely at a loss, before her face contorted into one of lividity. What nerve he had!

"YOU DIRTY GOOD-FOR-NOTHING INGRATE! I SHOULD KILL-"

Vegeta cringed. She was shouting directly at his face. Never had he heard a more horrible sound. Goku quickly got behind her and grabbed her by the mouth with one hand and placed the other underneath her chest, yet again, muffling the rest of her would-be curses/threats.

"Vegeta, stop being like that…" He told his older rival, looking at him in askance, "Look, I'll eat one myself."

He slowly removed his hand around Chi-Chi's mouth, followed by his other hand. She turned, glaring at him, huffing. He knew this may come back to bite him, but he could tell that Vegeta had serious trust issues, which he wanted to help subside. He grabbed one and slowly lifted it to his mouth, biting a bit off, chewing it and then swallowing.

"Wow, Chi-Chi you've never made them this good. This is delicious." Goku said gleefully and soon afterwards turned his attention to his surly houseguest, "See… no poison."

Chi-Chi turned to Vegeta, glaring daggers at him. Vegeta ignored her and looked at the egg roll in his hand, taking a bite out of it and chewing. The look on his face was priceless. Rarely had his eyes widened to such an extent and never when it came to food.

He turned his gaze towards her, looking completely blown away. The astonished expression on his face miraculously caused all of Chi-Chi's anger to dissipate.

"So, is this the best thing you've ever eaten or what?" She asked, hopeful.

Vegeta nodded instinctively, afterwards speaking.

"Uh… huh…" He said, whilst chewing. After he realized what he'd done, his expression of amazement quickly transformed into his usual scowl. Why did he have to complement the harpy's cooking? In all honesty, it was because that truly was the best thing he'd ever eaten. Mrs. Brief's egg-rolls weren't as good as this, though they were terrific as well… and somewhat similar.

"They taste similar to the one the woman's mother makes…" He said, after swallowing and turning away.

Chi-Chi looked at him quizzically. Who was he talking about? No one made egg rolls like she did. Then it hit her. She had emulated the recipe for the egg-roll mix from Mrs. Brief, but added her own spin on it… And it seems that made it even better. Truth is, a lot of what she knew about cooking, Mrs. Brief had taught her before she married Goku.

"But they're better, right?" She asked, her quizzical expression changing to a 'then-it-hit-me' expression and finally to a smirk, which was the countenance she took on as she asked her question.

Vegeta couldn't lie, but he didn't want to fuel the harpy's ego. So he scowled and turned away.

"Well?!" She asked, frowning at him and growing impatient.

Vegeta groused. She wouldn't leave him alone till he answered her question, so he chose to oblige her.

"Yes they are… Happy now?!" He hated admitting it.

"Very…" She said, elated, her anger once again dissipated. She'd proven herself yet again.

She then turned around and went to tend to the udon-dumpling soup she was preparing. She'd turned it on minimal heat and covered the boiling pot with a lid, while bringing the egg rolls to her arrogant nerve-wracking guest.

Vegeta continued digging into the egg rolls with his fork, every trace of food going into his mouth as he ate.

As soon as he was finished, Chi-Chi took his tray and placed the bowl filled with her well-prepared udon-dumpling soup onto the table.

Vegeta sniffed and was once again enticed by the irresistible aroma of the dish before him. Chi-Chi placed her hands on her hips and smirked at him.

"You don't have to wait on me, your highness." She said mockingly. Vegeta scowled at her. She reminded him somewhat of the blue-haired woman, though her voice was a lot more shrilling and unlike his woman-to-be, he didn't look forward to the harpy's outbursts.

He drank some of the soup and was astonished by its amazing taste. He then picked up some noodles with his chopsticks, along with a dumpling and was equally astonished by their delectability, if not more. He continued attacking his meal ferociously, not allowing a single bit to go to waste. Chi-Chi noticed this and was impressed - when Goku ate, bits and pieces would go flying all over the place (A/N: I emulated that idea from "Rediscovering Honor").

Vegeta finished his meal, satisfied at the sheer perfection of it. In all his life, he'd never tasted anything quite as good as that, though Mrs. Brief's dishes did come close. His respect for the harpy had increased quite significantly.

After getting up he turned to her, slightly bowing his head in respect for a moment. It seems he was changing significantly. He never bowed to the ditzy blonde-haired woman before, despite her delicious meals. But perhaps it was because the harpy commanded respect and stood up to him, despite knowing she would have no chance of survival had he decided to use even an ounce of his colossal power against her. He admired that. It was one of the many things that had drawn him to Bulma as well. His gesture of respect didn't go unnoticed by Chi-Chi, who was stunned – she would never have expected someone like him to show such reverence. However after escaping from her thoughts, she smiled warmly at him, for the first time ever and bowed back.

"It's time Kakarot." Vegeta turned his attention to his rival.

Chi-Chi looked back and forth between the two for a second before speaking.

"Time… for what?" She asked, apprehensively.

"Oh, we're going to spar Chi-Chi, that's all…" Goku looked at her explaining. "That's why he came here."

Chi-Chi sighed. It seems fighting was all that was on their minds.

Goku turned to leave, but Vegeta suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, Kakarot…" He said, "Do you have any more of those beans?"

Goku looked at him and then smirked.

"Don't worry Vegeta…" He said, "I won't beat you up too bad."

Vegeta snarled at him.

"You're going to eat those words clown!" He responded angrily and then eased his tone somewhat, "… Now anyway… beans?"

"It's all right, Vegeta…" Said Gohan, smiling at him, knowing what he was talking about, "I have a sack of senzu beans in my room. I'll go get 'em."

"Why would you have them?" Vegeta asked after a moment's pause, startled.

"Well… uh… dad always misplaces things… so…"

Gohan turned to his room and dashed towards it immediately.

Vegeta looked back at his rival who had a mortified expression etched on his face and began laughing.

"Typical Kakarot…" He laughed, "Even your child has more sense than you."

Goku simply scratched the back of his head, laughing embarrassedly.

"Oh, that reminds me…" Vegeta said smirking, "Surely you didn't misplace that medicine the purple-haired brat from the future gave you."

'Oh yeah, that medicine which Tr-' Goku immediately held that thought, not wanting Vegeta to hear.

'Uh… Vegeta…' Goku asked mentally, 'How do I close my thoughts?'

By now Gohan was in his room and had the senzu beans, in hand.

'Something you don't want to share?' Vegeta asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

'Please Vegeta… Tell me, I'll do anything…' He pleaded. 'This is very important…'

Vegeta thought for a moment. Having Kakarot in his debt may not be such a bad idea and he could care less about whatever trivial thought he wanted to hide, although he was somewhat curious as to what information Kakarot would want to conceal.

'What is it that's so important?' He asked after a little thought, 'I've never known you to hide a thing from anyone… well apart from some of the things that purple-haired brat told you about.'

'VEGETA PLEASE! TELL ME NOW!' Goku growled mentally in a mix of terror and exasperation, doing whatever he could to prevent his thoughts from drifting off to Trunks.

Vegeta cringed.

'Stop trying to destroy my brain-cells, you dumbass!' Vegeta responded back. He sighed in defeat inwardly, which Goku heard and then continued, 'Fine… I'll explain how you idiot… Just don't do that ever again!'

Goku mentally sighed in relief and smiled at his rival, 'Thanks… Vegeta.'

Vegeta showed his rival how to mentally erect walls that hid away his thoughts. He himself never really spoke mentally with anyone, since Nappa. He only did so with people he fully trusted, not wanting to give anyone else the opportunity to see what lay dormant in his mind. Even with Nappa and Raditz he was careful to keep as much hidden away as possible, but using the technique made it difficult to conceal everything. A question suddenly struck his mind.

'Do I trust Kakarot?'

He had every reason to trust him. He did owe him his life. He was the reason he made it out alive from their first battle, plus he gave him a senzu bean after he had suffered a beating against Recoome and just recently, his recovery quickened and his power drastically rose as a result of his efforts, although he would've preferred it if he hadn't dropped in on him during his private moment with the blue-haired woman. But then again he had saved the younger Saiyan's life twice as well (A/N: Jeice and Ginyu). Still, Frieza was defeated because of him and as much as it angered him that he wasn't able to get his revenge on his tormentor, he still had the freedom he'd longed for ever since his father had given him away to the icy tyrant as a young boy. He owed that to his rival. Furthermore, Kakarot could've killed him any time between then and now. He was the stronger of the two and although now he may have surpassed his base power level, or so he thought, the younger Saiyan had the power to ascend up his sleeve, plus that technique he used in their first battle to multiply his power… the Kaio-Ken. Yet he spared his older rival. If the situation were reversed, would Vegeta even hesitate to finish off Kakarot?

Last week he would definitely not hesitate in the slightest, but would it be different now? The blue-haired woman had changed him. In a short amount of time she had completely transformed him in every way possible. Perhaps he would spare Kakarot and give up his age-long quest to destroy him, if only for her sake. But it wasn't only for her. He had no real desire for it anymore. He did want to surpass him and defeat him in an all out battle once the androids were gone, but to take his life was something completely different.

He cast away those thoughts and before Goku had created his mental barrier, he erected his own, not wanting his rival to see the turmoil brewing within him.

Just then Gohan came forth with a sack of senzu beans.

"Hey, I've got 'em." He told his father and Vegeta. He then turned to Piccolo, who was still meditating, "Hey Piccolo, aren't you coming?"

Piccolo looked at him, smirking.

"Might as well, kid…"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Epic battle

The four of them left the house and flew off into the distance, towards a vast barren rocky terrain. This was the perfect place for battle between the two super-powered warriors.

As they landed, Goku and Vegeta faced each other, both warriors smirking.

"Well Kakarot…" Vegeta began boldly, "I'll bet anything you cannot defeat me without resorting to your Super Saiyan powers or your Kaio-Ken."

The three warriors present were startled by his bold declaration. After a while Goku found it in himself to speak.

"Wow, Vegeta…" He said, "You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"Come on Kakarot… Show me what you've got…" Demanded Vegeta, smirking.

Goku took a took a battle-hardened expression and placing his fists by his waist, elbows bent, he began powering up slowly for a few moments, before roaring, a fiery red aura surrounding him. His power level began skyrocketing.

Gohan and Piccolo looked on in shock.

"I had no clue dad was that powerful…" Stated an astounded Gohan.

"Me neither…" Said an equally stunned Piccolo, "And yet there's still more… How is that possible?"

Piccolo turned his attention towards Vegeta and saw the Saiyan Prince with that smug look still etched on his face.

"Vegeta doesn't even look phased by it." Piccolo told Gohan.

Gohan too turned his attention to the Prince.

"You're right…" Gohan said, astonished by the expression on Vegeta's face, "How can he be that confident?"

By now Goku finished powering up.

"Is that all Kakarot?" Vegeta said, still smirking, "… I'm disappointed, I expected better."

Gohan and Piccolo's jaws dropped at Vegeta's words. Was he insane? The power they sensed from Goku was radical. His base power wasn't anywhere near as high when he returned to Earth from Yardrat.

Goku, on the other hand, felt insulted by his rival's remark, which the older Saiyan could see.

Vegeta's smirk changed into a battle-hardened expression, just as Goku's had before he powered up. Gohan gulped in anticipation. It was the moment of truth. Now they would learn why Vegeta was so confident.

He too slowly powered up before roaring like never before, as a thunderous blaze of fiery blue aura engulfed him.

Gohan and Piccolo were breath taken, as they witnessed the powers of the mighty Saiyan Prince, right before their very eyes.

"He's stronger than dad…" Gohan looked towards Piccolo, "How can that be?"

"I don't know." Replied Piccolo, "It's impossible. How could he have gained that much power in such a short period of time?"

Goku's eyes widened. He was stunned and at the same time afraid and exhilarated. He hadn't experienced any fear in the slightest, since he had faced Frieza. And yet, he was still burning with the desire to finally face an opponent who could draw out the very limits of his own power.

Goku knew he had to power up to his maximum and even that may not have been enough to match Vegeta's. But it was worth the challenge.

Vegeta was smirking at his rival. Goku smirked back.

"I guess I really underestimated you Vegeta… A lot." Said Goku, before powering up further, heading towards his maximum, without ascending or using Kaio-Ken. The fiery red aura surrounding him swelled further and further, until he finally reached his maximum.

Gohan and Piccolo looked at him.

"Unreal…" Said Gohan. "Am I dreaming?"

"Far from it." Piccolo smirked. "This is amazing. Anyway you look at it, the pair standing before us are the two most powerful warriors in the Universe… I just hope they become even stronger… much stronger. When the androids get here, those pieces of junk won't know what hit 'em."

Gohan nodded slowly at him, still unable to come to terms with the enormity of Goku and Vegeta's powers.

Goku's power-up had wiped the smug look on Vegeta's face.

'Amazing…' Thought Vegeta. He then smirked at his rival once again.

"So, Kakarot!" He exclaimed, "Ready for a beating?!"

"We'll see Vegeta." Goku smirked back.

The two charged towards each other, holding nothing back. Punches, kicks, knees, elbows, head butts and Ki blasts were all exchanged between the two rivals for about 15 minutes as Gohan and Piccolo looked on, flabbergasted.

Both warriors were breathing heavily and smirking at one another, loving every second of it. They were battered, bruised, broken and bleeding badly and yet neither had ever felt more alive their entire lives. They were relishing every second of this battle. The rock-hard surface beneath them was largely turned into dust and vaporized as a result of their explosive powers clashing with one-another.

Vegeta lunged at Goku and threw a right cross towards his rival, who slipped and was about to land a hard body shot at his rival who caught his incoming right hand with his left. He drew his right hand back quickly and threw a right hook to his rival's face. Goku caught it with his left and the two locked horns with one-another. They were midair and Vegeta finally broke their position by flaring his Ki and landing a hard straight punch on his rival's solar plexus with his right hand, sending him flying back. They were slightly at an angle when mid-air, which caused Goku to fly straight through the rocks below. Vegeta stood there smirking. He knew it wasn't quite over yet.

Goku's Ki exploded and a large cylinder of golden energy shot upwards from where he was, as he rose.

He glared at Vegeta, angered at being bested like that, but at the same time ecstatic. He began charging up his signature move, placing a large amount of Ki into it.

"KAAAAAA…. MEEEE…"

Vegeta laughed mischievously and began powering up his own signature attack.

"… HAAAAA… MEEEEE"

"WAIT! STOP!" Piccolo roared, "BOTH OF YOU… YOU'RE PUTTING OUT WAY TOO MUCH ENERGY! YOU'LL KILL EACH OTHER!"

Neither rival heard a word of it. They were lost in their own worlds. All they could see was each other.

"GAAAAAAALIIIIICK…"

"HAAAAAAAAA…"

A colossal wave of blue shot its way towards the Saiyan Prince.

"GUUUUUUUUUUUNNN…"

A monumental wave of purple Ki fired towards Earth's hero.

As the two waves of energy clashed, there were some new arrivals on the scene.

"What in the world is going on?" Asked Krillin. The bald warrior had sensed the super powers clashing with one-another all the way from Kame House and had flown over.

"I don't know Krillin… This looks bad." Said Tien, who'd also come by, leaving Chiaotzu behind. If there really were a battle that was taking place between Goku and Vegeta, he wouldn't want his friend involved.

Piccolo and Gohan looked at them. They hadn't even sensed them coming. They were completely overwhelmed by the two gigantic beams colliding with one-another as they were speaking.

All four members of the audience kept themselves at a safe distance from the battle. Yamcha then made his way to the scene.

"Guys, what in the world is happening?!" Yamcha asked, completely unnerved at what he was sensing.

"Goku and Vegeta are… sparring." Piccolo explained.

Tien, Krillin and Yamcha gaped at him.

"What do you mean sparring?!" Krillin asked in utter disbelief.

"Yeah Piccolo, it looks more like a war to me. They look like they're trying to kill each other!" Exclaimed Yamcha.

"We might have to intervene if things get out of hand." Stated Tien.

"LOOK, STAY OUT OF THIS, GOT IT?!" Growled Piccolo, as he turned his attention towards Tien. He then sighed exasperatedly and continued. "You can go and get involved if you're stupid enough, but you'll just be signing your own death warrant… The only time we can interfere is when they're done, got it?!"

Tien grumbled at being reprimanded like that, but soon after sighed in defeat, facing Piccolo and nodding his head in agreement.

The five of them turned their attention towards the two warriors duking it out.

Goku was beginning to lose the battle of the beams as time drew on and with each passing moment, Vegeta's Galick gun came closer and closer. He suddenly drew what remained of his power as Vegeta's beam was closing in on him.

The tide now turned in his favor as the beam began making its way towards Vegeta.

"TOO SOON KAKAROT!" The Prince roared in a mischievous fit of laughter, as he too put in every last bit of power he had into his beam.

The tables were turned back to the way they were before. As the beam drew closer to Goku, he couldn't do anything. He'd lose this battle, but he didn't want to. He couldn't. He had to do it. It was his only resort.

"KAIO-KENNNNNNNN!" Roared Goku and with that the younger Saiyan finally had his way (A/N: I'm assuming that Kaio Ken is a multiplier somewhere between 1 and 2, probably around the middle).

Vegeta tried holding himself in place as best he could, but the power heading his way was far too much for him to handle. He tried jumping out of the way, but the blast was much too quick for the exhausted Prince. He was being blown away and damaged badly by it.

"OH NO!" Goku shouted, "What have I done?! I wasn't thinking straight!"

Goku lowered himself to the ground, facing the floor beneath him in shame.

~~~~

Vegeta was trying to direct himself away from the energy blast propelling him to who knows where. After a few moments he was finally able to do it, but was injured badly. His left leg was horribly burnt and his left arm… He looked towards it and was alarmed at what he saw… Most of his left arm was gone… Vaporized. Now what would he do? His life as a warrior was over. He had lost his tail because of that fat Earthling swordsman and now his left arm. This was all Kakarot's fault. His ire soared as he headed back towards the battlefield – he didn't care about anything. He wanted to make his rival pay for what he did, no matter his chances – the Saiyan Prince was blinded by rage.

~~~~

As Vegeta was returning, the others headed towards Goku.

"STAY BACK!" He roared at them.

They cringed. None of them had ever heard him shout so loud.

"U-Uh… G-G-Goku?" Krillin spoke, confused at what had gotten him so angry.

"Vegeta's about to return and he won't be happy, so get away from here! Now!" Shouted Goku, not quite as loud this time.

Just at that moment, they all sensed Vegeta's energy, low as it was, making its way towards Goku. They moved a safe distance away, still making sure they could see the Prince make his return in order to witness the final moments of this battle. How could anyone have survived that? It seemed impossible.

Goku had exhausted a vast amount of energy and using the Kaio-Ken in the depleted state he was in turned out to be a disaster. When fully functional, he could use higher levels of Kaio-Ken without problem, but in the state he was in, a simple Kaio-Ken was too much to handle, plus he hadn't really practiced the technique in quite a while.

Vegeta was exhausted just as bad after having been attacked by Goku's Kaio-Ken powered Kamehameha and although he managed to escape soon after, the sheer magnitude of the blast took its toll. Had he been caught even a little longer, it would've been his end.

The Prince just arrived in time, the fiery rage burning inside of him evident on his furious scowl. He set himself down on the ground near his rival.

Everyone looked at him in shock, fear and disgust. Parts of body were burned horribly and his left arm was vaporized. But it was the smell, that acrid smell of burned rotting flesh, which had struck them the most.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta…" Goku looked at him apologetically, "I wasn't thinking straight. Let's end this now before it gets worse."

Vegeta spat towards his rival.

"The only thing that's about to end is your pitiful life, Kakarot!" He growled, no longer having the strength to raise his voice too high.

"You know you can't win Vegeta…" Goku said, frowning at him, "It's over… Don't throw away your life like this."

That did it for Vegeta. Having his arm taken away was one thing, but having the nerve to pity him and show concern for his welfare afterwards was intolerable. He roared out loud and charged straight towards his rival.

Despite not having much energy, Goku easily blocked off Vegeta's attacks. Since the latter only had one arm and a horribly burned left leg, which he could barely stand on, there was practically nothing he could do. Yet somehow with all his willpower he determinedly pushed on. Goku, however, didn't have the heart to strike back.

"Vegeta! Stop, now!" Goku yelled at him, concernedly, as he blocked a right-hook.

Seeing the sympathetic features on his rival's expression, soared his anger to the melting point and in pure blind rage, the Saiyan Prince gnashed his teeth at his rival, baring his sharp elongated fangs. Goku had never seen anything like it before and was completely terrified.

As fast as he could, Vegeta sank his teeth into the scalene muscles between the right shoulder and neck of the younger Saiyan. He bit as hard as he could. Goku cried out in severe pain and Vegeta ripped off a large chunk of flesh he bit into, spitting it out right after. Goku had rarely felt such agony all his life. The only other experiences of pain that were worse than this were when Piccolo had blasted a hole through his left chest and began stomping on it and when Vegeta had turned into a giant ape and began crushing his bones.

As Goku held his left hand on his wound, where a chunk of flesh was missing, Vegeta landed a right-handed uppercut as hard as he could, causing his rival to fly several yards and land on his back, unconscious.

The 5 audience members cringed at what they saw. They'd never seen such an animalistic act on Vegeta's part and were absolutely abhorred by it. They made their way to Goku.

Meanwhile, Vegeta stood on his spot for a few moments. He felt like killing the younger warrior for what he did. He knew that if he wanted to strike, now was the time, because within moments the last dregs of his energy would fade away and he would slip into unconsciousness. Yet he couldn't do it. He was no longer a cold-blooded killer. He changed, but a part of him still wanted revenge for his arm being taken away. His inner-turmoil prolonged for a while, before he saw the other warriors stand in front of his rival, protecting him. He finally lost consciousness and fate had made his decision for him, as he collapsed on his knees and then fell on his face.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Aftermath

"Dad, please… Wake up." Gohan pleaded, trying to slap him awake, concerned for his welfare, "Please, dad."

The uppercut Vegeta landed did quite a number on him, but after a few minutes, he finally managed to collect himself and opened his eyes. The pain was still agonizing. Gohan smiled and took out a senzu bean, putting it in his mouth.

"Eat this dad… Quickly." Said Gohan.

The other four turned to face Goku right after Vegeta had fallen unconscious, crouching down by him.

Goku slowly ate the senzu bean and his eyes snapped open. The flesh missing between his neck and shoulder had suddenly materialized, as if by magic. Such was the power of the senzu bean. He got up immediately and looked at Vegeta, lying face first on the ground.

"Gohan… Senzu bean, now." He narrowed his eyes at his son.

"Goku, no!" Tien warned, "It's dangerous, you don't know what he'll do!"

"Don't worry Tien, it'll be fine." Said Goku, reassuringly.

"Why would you do that Goku?!" Asked Yamcha, "He has no honor. He couldn't stand losing, so he had to resort to playing dirty when your guard was down."

"You don't get it Yamcha!" Goku reproved and then sighed and softened his tone "I kind of played dirty myself by using the Kaio-Ken. I shouldn't have. It was kind of… unfair."

"How?" Asked Krillin, frowning at his best friend, "What's wrong with using a technique you learned?"

"You don't get it Krillin." Goku said, before explaining, "Unlike me he can't multiply his base power, since he doesn't know the Kaio-Ken and can't ascend to Super-Saiyan yet… So he made a bet that without using either of those two, I couldn't beat him… I didn't want to resort to using the Kaio-Ken but in a sudden act of desperation it just kind of… happened."

Goku looked towards his son, expectantly, who had stopped in his tracks to listen to what was being said.

"Oh right, here you go dad." He said and gave him a senzu bean after realizing what his father wanted.

As Goku headed towards Vegeta, Piccolo spoke.

"You know Goku," He began, smirking. Goku turned his face to look at him. "I had no clue either of you were this powerful, especially Vegeta… At this rate, those androids will fall like flies."

Goku smirked at him and nodded.

"Let's hope so Piccolo."

"That reminds me, Goku." Krillin said, "How in the world did Vegeta get so strong? And what about you Goku? It's unfathomable. The powers I sensed from you two were completely off-the-chart. I would never have imagined that either of were that strong."

"Well, I know Vegeta works out like mad in the gravity chamber and I've been training really hard with Piccolo and Gohan." He explained, turning his face to Krillin and smiling, "Even though I'm a lot stronger than they are, I have been able to pick up a lot of techniques… plus I do train with extremely heavy training weights during some of my free time."

"W-W-What's your d-d-definition of extremely h-h-heavy?" Asked Yamcha, staring at him apprehensively and ready for a completely unexpected response.

"Well… All I can tell you is, that it's in the tons…" Goku responded.

Everyone gaped at him, remaining silent for a while, before Gohan broke the silence.

"Dad, you never told me that…" Gohan said.

"Yeah son… King Kai sent me it from Otherworld." Answered Goku.

"A little heads up next time." Said Piccolo after a moment of pause, smirking, arms crossed.

Goku merely laughed a bit before turning back to Vegeta.

"Hey wake up, Vegeta." He ordered calmly, crouching down and shrugging the older Saiyan's shoulders. "We can make you as good as new, if you just wake up now."

Vegeta slightly opened his eyes and wrapped his right hand on Goku's left wrist.

"I'll… kill… you Kakarot…" He tried saying as loud as he could but his words were barely audible. He squeezed his rival's left wrist as hard as he could, but it had no effect at all, with the state he was in.

"Here Vegeta… Eat this senzu bean." He said and forced the bean into his mouth with quite a bit of effort. Luckily for Goku, Vegeta only barely resisted the urge to bite him again.

After a moment of thinking, Vegeta chewed and swallowed the bean. His eyes snapped open and he shot up into the air and bared his fangs at his rival. Goku jumped back and stood straight, smirking.

The other Z-fighters all got in defensive stances, moving next to Goku, after seeing Vegeta's threatening expression. Tien, Krillin and Yamcha were on his right, while Gohan and Piccolo were on his left.

"Hey Vegeta…" Goku said smirking, "Look at your left arm."

"What?!" Vegeta growled. He then turned to look at it. He was astonished. It had regrown. His eyes widened for a moment. Then he narrowed them, looking at his rival.

"How?" He asked.

"The senzu bean has amazing powers." Goku answered simply.

Vegeta sighed inwardly in utmost relief. He was fine. He could still fight. Everything was perfect. With that thought, his anger had all but vanished. He stood up straight, now out of his defensive posture.

"I told you Kakarot." He said, smirking, "You couldn't beat me without using the Kaio-Ken… And even with that, I still won!"

He laughed. Even though it was much too close for comfort, he had won the battle against his rival.

"Hey, you didn't win squat!" Yelled Yamcha, "You cheated! Goku could've finished you off easily, if you hadn't bitten him like the filthy animal you are!"

"You sure do talk a lot weakling… when you're not alone…" Said Vegeta in a bored tone, facing the weaker warrior (A/N: Yamcha's certainly not weak, but compared to Goku and Vegeta, all the human fighters are like mice).

"Ha… You're nothing but a sore loser." Replied Yamcha, ignoring his words, "Goku will always be stronger than you are… You're no Super-Saiyan and you never will be."

Vegeta frowned at the former desert bandit.

"I'm pretty sure this battle revealed who was truly the strongest. And I will be a Super-Saiyan soon enough… Once I am there will be no doubt at all." He spoke in a deceptively calm manner, before lifting his left arm up in his direction slowly, his thumb and index finger shaped like a pistol, pointed towards him, as if ready to fire a Ki beam that could easily end the scar-faced warrior's life, "Now you better keep that trash-filled mouth of yours shut before I end your worthless life right here… weakling."

Yamcha shrank back in fear, still staying on the same spot though.

'Vegeta, no!' Goku transferred his thought to him.

Vegeta looked in Goku's direction, brows furrowed.

'Who cares about him?' He asked mentally, 'He's a weakling and he doesn't know his place.'

'Look, I know he runs his mouth too much sometimes, but he's still my friend, plus you do the same thing quite often… It doesn't bother me.' Goku said, 'And besides, that's no reason to kill him…'

'And when did I ever need your approval?' He asked.

'You never did…' He answered, 'But what would Bulma think?'

Vegeta's eyes widened at that thought. He remembered now. He was a different person than before. It angered him, somewhat, but he couldn't do anything that would hurt his woman to-be… the woman he loved. Still, he knew how she felt towards the scar-faced warrior.

'The woman hates that piece of trash.' He told Goku.

'Maybe… But she won't always hate him, plus…' He answered, 'She wouldn't want him dead either, especially not by your hands. She told me how much faith she has in you… And I can tell you wouldn't do anything that would hurt her.'

'That's enough out of you clown!' He exclaimed mentally and then erected his mental barriers so the younger Saiyan couldn't bother him any longer.

Vegeta sighed and then put his hand down.

Yamcha and the others looked back and forth between Goku and Vegeta. Piccolo, who'd heard everything, was astonished that Bulma held such a mountainous influence over the arrogant Prince. Just how much did she change him? He didn't know, but his faith in Vegeta had taken a spike at the idea of him refusing to hurt someone whom he looked down upon, despite the latter hurling such insults his way. He smiled inwardly at this. It kind of reminded him of himself and how he had changed because of Gohan, who was like a son to him.

"Why're you two looking at each other like that?" Asked Krillin.

"Don't worry about it Krillin." Said Goku.

Yamcha breathed a sigh of relief. He'd live to see another day. But he should've been more careful. Dangling your life like that in front of Vegeta and practically asking him to rip it away, isn't exactly a smart move.

"And Yamcha…" Said Goku, turning his face in his direction and narrowing his eyes, "Right now, Vegeta is slightly stronger than me in terms of my base power and his, plus… he will be a Super-Saiyan. I can already sense the power inside of him. I don't how long it'll take, but I know that someday he will find a way to bring it out."

Everyone looked at Goku wide-eyed, especially Vegeta. The younger Saiyan had just admitted his superiority… in front of everyone, no less and he had sensed what Vegeta had sensed to - the hidden well of energy within him, which he still could not harness. Goku then turned towards Vegeta.

"The power you showed me today was incredible Vegeta - far beyond anything I expected." He said, smirking, brows slightly furrowed, "I've learned a lot from this battle and I'm going to work harder than ever to catch up to you."

Vegeta continued looking at him incredulously and then smirked.

"Good, that's the spirit." He said, "I wouldn't want you going all soft… And if you think this is powerful, just wait till I ascend."

"Hey Goku. Nice work inflating his ego." Said Krillin.

Goku laughed a little, scratching the back of his head.

"By the way, if you do 'ascend'," Spoke Yamcha in a condescending manner, placing emphasis on the last word, "You plan to kill us all, right?"

Vegeta scoffed at him.

"I will waste no words on an idiot like you who can't even hold onto his woman… Not that she's your woman any longer…" He answered in a bored tone.

Tien and Krillin looked at Yamcha.

"Yamcha?" Asked Krillin. "Did you and Bulma… uh… break up again?"

"Yeah…" Yamcha answered, sighing in defeat.

"Jeez, I don't know what's up with you… The two of you keep going back and forth." Krillin commented, "I guess this is just another example of that."

"Except that he's not getting back together with her ever again!" Growled Vegeta.

"Hey, why's it any of your business?!" Yamcha growled back.

Vegeta was about to answer when he realized he had said too much. He scowled at the scar-faced warrior.

"And how did you know about that anyway?" Yamcha asked, frowning suspiciously at the Saiyan Prince.

"I'm aware of my surroundings moron…" Vegeta answered after thinking for a few seconds.

"Well, anyway guys, now that we're all here, what do you say we go and pay Bulma a surprise visit." Goku said, helping out Vegeta by distracting the others. He would do what he could to help the older Saiyan keep his relationship with Bulma private, as long as he wanted it to remain that way. "I'm sure she'd be happy to see you all. It's been far too long."

Vegeta sighed dejectedly. He was already missing her, so badly. He felt like ripping out all his hair. He wanted nothing more than to go and see her beautiful face, to hear her voice, to smell her scent and to feel her soft touch.

"Hey Vegeta, what's the matter?"

'I cannot see her Kakarot!' He spoke mentally, re-opening his barriers.

'What? Why not?' He responded.

'I just can't okay, not yet!'

'Is she mad at you?'

Vegeta laughed inwardly at that, which Goku heard.

'Probably.' He answered, remembering that he left her alone and flew off, soon after waking up. He quickly concealed those thoughts so his rival wouldn't see them.

'Oh, okay… Well, uh… what're you going to do?' Asked Goku.

'What do you care?' He responded, 'By the way, keep Scar-Face away from the woman… I do not want him near her.'

Goku was surprised at Vegeta's request, or more accurately, his demand. Not only was he severely over-protective of and jealous for Bulma, but he also trusted him with the task of making sure she was safe guarded. Yamcha wouldn't harm her of course. He'd never done that before and never would, but he knew that Yamcha's presence would hurt her at this time, based on the last conversation he had with her. Thus he would try and do what he could to fulfill his rival's request, or more accurately, his demand.

"By the way Yamcha…" Goku asked his friend and comrade, "Do you think Bulma will be happy to see you?"

Yamcha sighed again.

"She'd do anything not to see me Goku… She hates me." He admitted. "The last time we spoke she completely ignored me and did everything she could to get away from me, like I wasn't even there."

Vegeta smirked at him.

"HAHAHAHA You're pathetic, weakling." He said with that smug look still etched on his face, "Bathe in self-pity all you want, but just remember that it was you who violated your oath with her… An idiot without honor doesn't deserve someone like her."

Tien, Krillin and Gohan looked at him in shock. Did he just praise Bulma? What was up with that? Goku and Piccolo weren't surprised though. They knew it all. Yamcha on the other hand, saw nothing but rage.

Yamcha looked at him and scowled. After realizing what the others had, he thought up a suitable response.

"Gosh, Vegeta…" He said, smirking, "It almost sounds like you have a thing for her… Well that's too bad. A filthy arrogant murderer like you will never have her."

Vegeta scowled at him. He was about to tell him that he already did have her or rather would have her, but then remembered that he couldn't. Oh how he wanted to stick it in his face, but he just couldn't tell them about it yet. But why not tell the others? The woman wasn't ashamed and neither was he. As Vegeta considered this, a thought hit Yamcha.

"Wait… How did you know about all that anyway?" Asked Yamcha, frowning at him once again.

Vegeta looked at him.

"What? About you indulging yourself with another woman while 'dating' her?" He asked.

Yamcha grimaced at him and nodded his head slightly.

"It's simple… She told me…" He answered impassively.

Yamcha was flabbergasted, as were Tien, Krillin and Gohan. Bulma told Vegeta something like that? Why? As he was caught up in his own thoughts, Goku interrupted.

"Look guys, let's go see Bulma right now." Goku said, "She'll be thrilled to see us all!"

Yamcha didn't want to see Bulma, not after what she'd just heard. If she'd go to the extent of telling Vegeta something, then he must really have hurt her a lot worse than he thought. Then he remembered he and Bulma's conversation, before their date, during that fateful day the week before. Bulma was really defensive about Vegeta, praising him and here Vegeta was praising and defending her. Could it really be? No way. Bulma had never officially been with a man other than himself, although she did flirt with some handsome strangers she didn't know, here and there. He didn't even want to consider that idea. Just as he was thinking, Krillin spoke.

"Hey Goku." Krillin asked, "Do you really think it's a wise idea to see Bulma without warning? Maybe you should ask her first and if she agrees, we can come some time later. How's that?"

"Well… I guess so." Goku said, "Wait right here guys."

Goku placed his conjoined index and forefinger on his forehead and disappeared.

~~~~

He re-appeared in Bulma's lab, behind her. He saw her working on something.

"Hey Bulma!" Goku greeted.

She jumped in response and turned around. She sighed and then shouted.

"Goku! Do not scare me like that!"

Goku put his hands up defensively.

"Relax Bulma." He said, "Look, Vegeta and I were just sparring-"

"IS HE OKAY?!" She asked, jumping towards Goku in a flash and holding him by the shoulders, excessively loud, fearful as ever.

Goku shrank back after hearing her shrill like that. After a while he collected himself.

"He's just fine Bulma, relax." He said, smiling reassuringly. "He's extraordinarily powerful. He's finally surpassed me."

"What?! He's a Super Saiyan?" She asked, shocked by Goku's declaration.

"No Bulma. Not yet, but his base power exceeds mine… slightly…" He said. "So if he were to become a Super Saiyan now, he'd be stronger than I am… If he could properly control his ascended form, that is."

"Oh… I see." Bulma looked down dejectedly, taking her hands off her best friend's shoulders.

"Don't worry Bulma." He said, "I can tell that it'll only a matter of time before he ascends."

"It's not that Goku… I just… miss him…" She said.

Goku raised an eyebrow at her, curiously.

"What?" He asked, "I don't get it… What do you mean?"

"We just can't… see each other for a while…" She answered.

"How come?" Asked Goku.

"I… I can't say Goku… I made him a promise." She responded.

"You still… love him… right?"

"Of course I do!" She exclaimed. The sound of her voice wasn't too loud but her close proximity made Goku cringe.

"Jeez… Okay Bulma… I was just asking." He said. He wondered what on Earth was going on.

"How is he?" Bulma asked.

"He's all right generally…" He answered, "But I can tell he gets sad whenever you're mentioned."

Bulma looked at him for a moment, then smiled sadly, sighing. She was glad that Vegeta missed her, possibly as much as she did him. It wasn't the idea of not seeing one-another that saddened the two of them, but the fact that they couldn't… not for a while. Bulma tried to think of something else and remembered that her best friend was here for some reason, which she didn't know.

"Goku, I was wondering…" She began, "Why'd you come here?"

"Oh well… You see, I… uh…" He cleared his throat, before continuing, "When Vegeta and I were fighting… the others sensed our powers spiking and came to watch. After the fight ended, we were both literally torn to bits-"

Bulma gasped loudly.

"Bulma, it's all right. We had senzu beans with us." He stated. "We're both fine."

Bulma sighed in relief.

"Anyway… All the guys are still there and I… uh…" He said before stopping. Bulma nodded at him to continue, so after a while he did, "I invited them here, because I thought you'd want to… uh… see them, you know? It's been so long."

"Is Yamcha there?" Bulma asked, with a frustrated frown on her face and her arms folded as her face was tilted away from Goku. She was still unwilling to see him, especially now. They were totally over.

Goku hesitated for a while.

"Yeah… but…" He began, "He said he didn't want to see you… cause he thought you'd be mad at him… Plus Vegeta told me to… keep him away from you."

Bulma gasped at that, holding her hand in front of her mouth. Typical Vegeta. But trusting Goku with a task like that was a complete surprise to her.

"He… uh… told you that?" She asked, putting emphasis on the word 'you'.

Goku nodded his head in the affirmative.

She smiled at him. Vegeta sure was changing for the better.

"Well… you better do as he says." Bulma said, still smiling.

Goku nodded his head in assent. He didn't like Yamcha being excluded from the fold like that, but it was the best option, given the current circumstance. Yamcha was, after all, the first Z fighter he'd met… Even though they'd met as enemies, as was the case with so many of his comrades, they became great friends afterwards and nothing would change that, as far as he was concerned.

"By the way, Goku…" She began, "Just give me about an hour to dress up and prepare and everything."

"Sure thing, Bulma." He disappeared again, using instant transmission.

~~~~

While Goku was visiting Bulma, Tien, Krillin and Yamcha were all staring intently at Vegeta, waiting for his next move.

Piccolo and Gohan on the other hand were sitting down, focusing on their mind training.

"What are you gawking at?!" Vegeta growled after a few moments, growing tired of their annoying staring.

Yamcha and Krillin shrank back at the sound of his voice, while Tien remained in his spot, staring for a few seconds, before turning his attention towards Piccolo and Gohan. Unlike the other two, Tien was never deterred, no matter how powerful someone was – he was a relentless warrior.

"Well… uh… Vegeta." Krillin said, after finally gaining his voice. He was looking at the ground as he spoke, "I was wondering how you… became so… you know… powerful?"

Vegeta scoffed at him, then spoke after a while.

"I do a lot of push-ups and sit-ups and drink plenty of juice." He answered, smirking.

"Oh…" Replied Krillin, "I see…"

How typical of Vegeta. He should've known better than to expect a proper response from someone like him.

After a while, Yamcha felt he needed to speak. He needed to know the truth, no matter how badly it would hurt.

"Hey Vegeta." He said, trying to speak respectfully. Vegeta frowned at him. Yamcha knew what he was about to ask would have serious repercussions, but perhaps remaining polite would increase his chances of survival, afterwards. "I was thinking… Are you and Bulma… you know… together?"

Vegeta snarled at him, baring his fangs. How dare he ask about the woman? What nerve!

Yamcha and Krillin both cringed, while Tien remained focused intently on Gohan and Piccolo. He considered joining the two of them in their mind training for a moment. After all, mind training was one of his greatest focal points.

After a while, Yamcha pulled himself together. He sighed in relief. So Vegeta wasn't seeing Bulma.

"Yamcha… Why would you ask something so stupid?" Asked Krillin, laughing hesitantly. "I mean Bulma and Vegeta… Come on."

Vegeta heard the bald warrior and sighed inwardly, relieved. He was off the hook now. It seemed his instinctive snarl had paid off.

"Yeah… Silly me." He laughed. He was deeply consoled at what he perceived to be Vegeta's answer.

Vegeta smiled inwardly.

'Moron… I'd just love to see the look on his face when he finds out the truth.'

"Yamcha, seriously," Began Tien, "You're way too caught up in these trivial issues. It only interferes with your training. That's why I train in solitude with Chiaotzu."

Vegeta looked keenly at the three-eyed fighter. His attitude captured the attention of the surly Prince.

"Well, what difference does it make?" Yamcha asked, arms folded, "It's not like we'll ever be as strong as these Saiyans…"

"That doesn't mean you should give up." Tien said, "I don't care if I can't catch up with Goku and Vegeta or even Piccolo and Gohan for that matter. I have a feeling the planet will need all the help it can get against the androids, so that's why I train to the limits of my power and beyond."

Vegeta gained a newfound respect for three-eyed warrior. His outlook on training was a lot like his own. Then again, he too, got involved with the woman. But he didn't see her as something trivial or weak. She wasn't a weakness to him. She was his strength and the source of his comfort and happiness. She provided him peace and love he had never known before. Perhaps the reason he had gotten so powerful now was because of a need to protect her. Tien's perspective did, however, arouse Vegeta's curiosity.

"You're not like these other fighters." He said, facing his direction.

Tien turned to him, brows furrowed. Vegeta had never spoken to him directly before, unless spoken to.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You seem to be completely focused on your training and don't allow anything else deter you." He answered. "Not even me. This whole time, these two idiots besides you have been cowering whenever I make a slight gesture that they deem threatening, yet you remain perfectly calm."

"It's simple." Tien said, "I fear no one. I fear nothing. I'm a warrior and I'm driven by the need to get stronger."

"But you know you can't increase your strength like we can." Vegeta stated.

"That doesn't matter to me." Tien said, frowning more deeply than before, "And what do you mean we?"

Vegeta froze for a moment. Did he just say 'we'? He included Kakarot and himself in one word. Why did he do that? Was he becoming acquainted with his rival? Was he developing a bond of friendship with him? After all, he was the only one who knew about him and Bulma and he'd trusted him with keeping scar-face away from her. Plus, the younger Saiyan was always spoke to him like he did one of his own allies, perhaps in an even friendlier manner.

"Well, Kakarot and myself, of course…" He answered, scowling. He hated having to admit that.

Tien shrugged, indifferent to the facial expression etched on the Prince's face.

"Well…" Tien began, "Like I said, I'm a warrior and I train to become as strong as I possibly can. I will help against the androids, even if means death… A warrior lives to be stronger and is ready to die in battle…. I don't fear death."

Vegeta contemplated Tien's words for a moment.

"Interesting." He said, "Add a little incentive for murder and you'd make a decent Saiyan."

Tien snarled at him.

"I'm nothing like you!" He exclaimed angrily, "I don't kill innocent people and I never will… There's a difference between a warrior and a bloodthirsty barbarian. I act on honor, not brutality."

Vegeta snarled back.

"You know nothing about me, you fool!" He replied, "How dare you act like you know who I am!"

Vegeta did not like his honor being insulted, by any one.

"I know this." Tien shot back, "You're a murderer… I don't even know how many innocent people you've killed, but it's probably in the billions, if not more."

Vegeta disappeared. Tien knew what was coming next, so he closed his eyes and focused his mind deeply.

Just as Vegeta's fist was about to connect with the back of his head, Tien whirled around and caught it with both hands, barely managing to hold himself in place.

Vegeta was amazed at his sheer skill. He drew his hand back after a moment.

"How did you do that?" He asked.

Tien eased up and regained his composure, once again standing firmly.

"It's simple." He explained, "You're much faster than I am so I knew I couldn't catch you with my eyes. So instead, I focused on your Ki signal and could tell you were somewhere behind me. I had to kind of guess where you were planning to strike, since you were moving so quick that I couldn't pinpoint your exact location and… I suppose I guessed right."

Vegeta hmphed.

"You know that attack could have killed you right?" He said.

"I know…" Tien affirmed, "I could feel its power. It took all the energy I had just to hold it in place."

"And yet you aren't phased in the least?"

"No." Tien answered simply.

Vegeta wondered for a while why Tien was the way he was. Then it hit him. It was rare for anyone to have that level of composure, unless they had blood on their hands or had committed acts of evil.

"Tell me… have you ever killed someone?" Vegeta asked curiously.

"No." Tien answered. (A/N: Although he defeated the Saibaman, it was Vegeta who killed it).

So he hadn't. Vegeta could tell he wasn't lying. But there had to be more to the story.

"Have you ever wanted to?" He asked.

Tien sighed.

"Yes… I once looked up to people like you." He answered, head bowed to the ground in shame of his past deeds. He then raised his head up towards the sky as he recounted his past. "My former master taught me that I should impose my power on others to gain dominance over them. His younger brother, Mercenary Tao, was an infamous killer and once my senior. I idolized him. My dream was to follow in his footsteps. Although I didn't kill anyone, I would purposely torment my opponents, make them suffer needlessly and leave them badly broken for the rest of their lives… I was once evil, but Master Roshi's guidance taught me that there was a better way – to help others. Though he never taught me martial arts, his perspective on life changed me completely."

"Who's that? The old man with a beard and sunglasses?" Asked Vegeta. He'd seen him once when they asked Namek's dragon to bring Krillin back to life and had found out that Goku was still alive and wished to return to Earth on his own accord. He'd heard his name being called out and so remembered him. Vegeta had a photographic memory, in the literal sense.

Tien looked at him and nodded nodded.

"He's Goku's former master." He said, "He also taught Krillin and Yamcha. He still teaches Krillin. He and my old master were rivals."

So there was more to story. That explains why he was so calm and collected. He had seen and inflicted so much pain and suffering that it was of little consequence to him.

Tien suddenly realized with whom he was having a personal conversation. Why would Vegeta ask him about these things? Was he undergoing some sort of change himself? Perhaps he wanted to ask him, because he wanted to converse with someone who experienced regret for their past misdeed. But that couldn't be. He still needed to be sure though.

"Why ask me all that anyway?" Tien asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Never mind." Vegeta grumbled. He wouldn't allow anyone into his inner circle, except for Bulma and to some level, perhaps Kakarot. But he did respect this warrior a lot more than the other Earthling fighters. He was calm, collected, determined and fearless, plus he had a true warrior's soul. He also had a history he could somewhat relate to, though on a much smaller scale compared to his own.

Just then Goku appeared.

"Hey guys! So Bulma says we should come in an hour." Goku announced.

Vegeta immediately turned his attention to his younger rival.

'How is she Kakarot?'

'She's fine Vegeta… She just misses you, a lot. I don't think she's mad at you either.'

Vegeta sighed inwardly, which Goku didn't miss. He could sense the level of care his rival had for Bulma.

"Goku… uh… did she say anything… about me?" Yamcha asked, gleaming with hope inside, since he had just learned that Bulma and Vegeta hadn't been intimate, as he had suspected. How wrong he was though!

Goku sighed.

"Sorry Yamcha… but… it looks like she doesn't… want to see you." He said.

Yamcha sighed dejectedly and looked down on the floor, disheartened.

"Well I don't blame her." Vegeta said, smirking at the scar-faced warrior, "Who could stand an idiot like you, anyway? I'm surprised she chose a moron like yourself in the first place."

"What's your problem jackass?!" Yamcha yelled at him angrily, "It's got nothing to do with you! At least I did have her! You'll never have her in your wildest dreams! So keep your big mouth shut before I do it for y-"

Yamcha's voice was suddenly muffled, as Vegeta's hand covered his mouth.

"You were saying, weakling?!" Vegeta spoke, before lifting him up by the jaw effortlessly. Tien and Krillin immediately tried pulling Vegeta back, but couldn't move him an inch.

While his left hand was trying to pry off Vegeta's wrist, Yamcha moved his right hand downward so his palm was facing Vegeta's abdomen. He formed a Ki ball and was about to fire when Vegeta grabbed his wrist, in a way that caused all the Ki to dissipate. Yamcha had about as much hope of surviving an onslaught from Vegeta as a snowball in hell.

Goku appeared right next to them and grabbed Vegeta's shoulder.

"Vegeta!" He said seriously, frowning at him. The older Saiyan turned towards him, scowling. Goku shook his head, as if to say 'don't do it'.

Vegeta grumbled and let go of the scar-faced warrior. Tien and Krillin immediately let go of Vegeta, after they sensed him releasing Yamcha. Goku took his hand off his shoulder.

The others assumed that he simply let go because he didn't want to face Goku's wrath, but they were dead wrong. It was simply because he couldn't violate the honor he'd recently acquired. It irked him somewhat. He was still getting accustomed the idea of not being allowed to kill at will. But as time went by it would be easier to adjust to his life of peace. As he was thinking this, Yamcha spoke.

"What's the matter, huh?" He said mockingly, rubbing his aching jaw and cheekbones, "Scared of Goku?"

Vegeta snarled at him and chose to reply with a half-truth.

"I just don't think an abominable pile of trash like you is worthy of dying by my hands."

"Yeah right…" Yamcha began, "I bet you're-."

"That's enough Yamcha…" Reproached Goku, looking solemnly at his friend, "No more."

"He's nothing but a waste of space." Commented Vegeta.

"Vegeta… please…" Goku looked at him pleadingly, "Just forget about it, okay?"

Vegeta was disgusted by his rival's regard for scar-face. Then again, he knew the younger Saiyan didn't want him acting brutally either. Kakarot acted like a friend to Vegeta. Did Vegeta see him the same way? A part of him told him so and as much as he wanted to deny that part, he couldn't. He came to respect the younger warrior's power, courage and relentlessness, rather than loathe him for it. But he'd also come to respect other qualities of his too – his honor, his regard for others and him constantly being there to remind him not to transgress in a manner that would hurt his relationship with Bulma. By all logic, they should have been enemies, yet they weren't.

"Fine!" He said turning away and folding his arms. He didn't want to entertain such thoughts. They were a waste of time…

Yamcha was about to make another derisive remark, when Goku looked at him and shook his head, in warning, consequently stopping him in his tracks.

The scar-faced warrior sighed in defeat and bowed his head to the ground.

Tien went over to Gohan and Piccolo, sitting down next to them. They turned towards him.

"Mind if I train with you?" He asked.

"Wouldn't you just get in the way?" Piccolo responded, smirking.

"Does Goku ask you the same thing?" Tien retorted, smirking back.

Piccolo realized he'd just lost that little argument.

"Fine… Go ahead." He grumbled.

The three of them closed their eyes and focused deeply. They began sparring one-another mentally. After a few minutes, they were done.

"Wow Tien." Gohan said, "Those moves were amazing. I never knew you were so strong… You're even stronger than Krillin." (A/N: I think he is).

Tien laughed.

"Yeah, I train hard in the mountains with Chiaotzu in really cold weather, with weighted training gear on."

"Pretty impressive." Commented Piccolo, "You weren't nearly as strong when we trained on King Kai's planet."

While they were training mentally, Goku looked at them and back to Vegeta.

"Hey, we've got nothing better to do." He said and then smirked, "Why not do some mind-training of our own?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at him, thinking for a moment.

"Fine… But how?"

Goku explained to Vegeta how to focus and interlink his mind with his own, in such a way that they would create a sort of dream world where the two could test their strengths against one-another mentally.

Krillin looked at Yamcha, who looked back.

"Well?" He asked, "What do you say, huh?"

Yamcha shrugged his shoulders.

"Might as well."

"Wait, Vegeta, I should tell Chi-Chi, her father, Master Roshi, Oolong and Chiaotzu where we're headed." Goku said, "I'll be back soon."

"Whatever!" Groused Vegeta, impatiently, "Just hurry it up!"

"Sure thing." Replied Goku.

Goku went ahead and informed them all to get ready within the hour. He visited Chiaotzu last and after filling him in, he brought him back to the rest of the Z fighters.

"Chiaotzu!" Tien exclaimed, his attention diverted to his best friend.

"Tien!" Chiaotzu fired back.

"Hey Chiaotzu, what's up?" Asked Krillin.

"Well, nothing much…" Replied the little warrior, "Just training I guess… Really hard training."

Krillin laughed in response.

Chiaotzu's appearance had brought all the warriors out of their trances. After all the meeting and greeting was done, Chiaotzu proceeded to join Krillin and Yamcha in their mind training, knowing he couldn't compete with Piccolo or Gohan and most definitely not with Goku or Vegeta.

Vegeta and Goku were engaged in their own mind training.

The eight warriors continued training mentally, until an hour had passed and Goku's internal clock ticked.

After his final mental battle with Vegeta ended in a stalemate, Goku decided to call it quits. Vegeta wasn't quite used to mind-training like this, but he quickly got accustomed over the hour.

'Well, it's time we go to Bulma's.' Goku told Vegeta mentally, trying to catch his breath.

Vegeta sighed, dejectedly.

'Go ahead.' He answered. He would wait for the others to leave, before flying off himself, to who knows where. As much as he hated to admit it, he just did not want to be alone right now, so he'd stay with the others as long as possible… He was able to screen these thoughts from Goku.

"Hey guys, it's time we head over to Bulma's, okay?" Goku jolted everyone back into the real world.

They got up.

Yamcha looked down at the ground, despondently. Bulma still didn't want to see him. He wondered why. How could he have hurt her so badly? He sighed.

"Sorry Yamcha." Said Krillin.

"Don't be…" Yamcha responded, still facing the ground, "I guess it's my fault."

Yamcha then thought for a moment.

"Wait, Goku…" He began. Goku turned towards him, bewildered. "Could you take Puar with you? She's still in my apartment. I don't think she should miss out on this because of me…"

"Sure thing Yamcha…" Goku smiled, "Don't worry… I'm sure Bulma will forgive you one of these days."

Yamcha nodded weakly. He thought for a while about what he would do. He decided to go home and call Naomi, asking her if she and her family would like to spend the day with him. With that in mind, he flew off towards West City.

"I should go get the others." Said Goku, before continuing, "Wait here for me, okay?"

He then disappeared to Yamcha's apartment.

~~~~

While there he asked Puar if she would come and told her that Bulma was still mad at Yamcha and refused to see him. Puar, loyal to a fault, had to decline Goku's offer, even though Goku had told her that it was Yamcha's idea. After a while he gave up, sighing and just transported to Kame House (A/N: I like Puar, but just didn't want to complicate things with a potential Puar/Bulma fight).

~~~~

At Kame House, Goku collected together Master Roshi, Oolong and Turtle, transporting them back with the others. He then went to his house at Mount Paozu.

~~~~

He then visited Ox King and brought him over too.

~~~~

Last, but definitely not least, he collected his pretty little wife at Mount Paozu, who wore a pink blouse and white trousers, had metallic pink lipstick on and styled her hair in a very attractive fashion, with thick strands falling on either side of her face and short bangs on the front, with the back tied in a pony tail. He brought her back to the others.

~~~~

"Hey Chi-Chi." Master Roshi said, approaching her with his palms faced towards and nearing her chest, "You're looking fine there, kid. As beautiful as ev-."

POW!

Chi-Chi landed a hard uppercut on the old master, sending him flying several yards high in the air before landing on his back in an undignified manner. The others rolled their eyes, not surprised in the least by Roshi's perverted antics, while Goku chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"You never change, do you, Master?" Said Goku, chuckling.

"That's Master Roshi for you…" The Ox King laughed, clutching his stomach, "Just the same as ever…"

Master Roshi pulled himself together and began laughing embarrassedly.

"Hey, fair warning you old lecher!" Vegeta snarled, approaching him and grabbing him by the collar, gripping him tightly. Roshi cringed in fear and shock. "You try anything funny on the woman and I'll rip your spine out and shove it down your gullet!"

Everyone, save Goku and Piccolo gaped at Vegeta in absolute disbelief. Oolong ran and hid behind Krillin, his face as blue as the ocean.

'Vegeta! You just blew your cover, you idiot!' Exclaimed Goku mentally. Vegeta froze for a moment. What had he done? It was all that old lecher's fault.

"Oh crap!" Vegeta exclaimed, dropping the old man. He needed to get out of there. He could no longer stand everyone staring at him.

'Kakarot, keep him away from her, got it?!' Demanded Vegeta, mentally.

'Fine, just go. You're just making things worse for yourself by staying here!' Goku replied back.

He glared at the old man once more, "Just remember what I said, you dirty old man!"

He then flew off.

"Where'd Vegeta go?" Asked a confused Chi-Chi. "… And why would he care if Roshi gets all perverted with me?"

"I don't know…" Goku said, "Bulma did say something about him having to spend some time away from Capsule Corporation… But I've got no clue why…"

Goku did not want to answer her last question, opting to divert their attention away from Vegeta's behavior towards Roshi. But it was too late – a thought had already struck Krillin.

"Master Roshi." Asked Krillin. The old master was speechless, having been overcome by shock after what had just happened. He turned towards Krillin, who continued, "I really suggest you don't try anything funny with Bulma."

Goku sighed in defeat. It was too late. They would soon put all the pieces together.

"Bulma?" Asked Roshi, having regained his composure, "What's Bulma got to do with this?"

"I don't think Vegeta was referring to Chi-Chi when he threatened you." Krillin explained, "He was talking about Bulma… I'm sure of it."

"What?" Asked Chi-Chi with a raised eyebrow, startled by Krillin's bold claim, her curiosity aroused, "Why would he care about Bulma?"

"Call me crazy, but I think he has a thing for her." Responded Krillin, "Every time she's brought up, he gets all defensive."

Everyone gaped at Krillin, apart from Goku and Piccolo, who were staring at each other, knowingly. There was a short moment of silence before it was finally broken.

"You… You… can't be serious… Krillin." Chiaotzu said, disbelievingly.

"I'm dead serious." Krillin said, before turning to his master. "Master, whatever happens, don't do anything to Bulma, okay?"

Master Roshi, who was almost completely overcome with shock, couldn't utter a word, so instead he nodded his head slowly.

"Okay guys, anyway." Goku said, wanting this conversation to end before it went any further. "I think we should be heading over to Bulma's right around now."

They all held onto Goku who used his instant transmission to appear in front of Bulma.

~~~~


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Friendly reunion

Bulma looked up and jumped as her friends had suddenly materialized. She was in the garden, near the trees, preparing some nice barbequed dishes. Her father was in at work, but would finish soon to join the others. Her mother was inside, making sure the joint was cleaned up and tending to some houseplants. Bulma was wearing a pretty-looking short silk ruby-colored dress that was relatively loose and knee-level. She styled her hair the way she had just before her last date with Yamcha, straightening it out and tying it into a high rope-braid and fashioning a few short bangs on her front, leaving long noticeable strands of frontal hair falling on either side of her face. She was also wearing red lipstick and matching ruby-colored high heals to go with her dress.

"GOKU!" She shouted at her friend.

Everyone cringed at her voice.

"Relax Bulma… We're all here now…" Goku said.

"Okay…" She said and then continued, ecstatic, "This is perfect, I'm so happy to see you all again!"

Everyone got settled in and began speaking to Bulma about how life was and how their training was going.

"Can you believe Vegeta actually bit a chunk out of Goku's shoulder area?" Krillin said, shuddering, still disgusted by the sheer savagery of the act he witnessed.

Those who knew beforehand cringed, remembering the act and those who were unaware did likewise.

"WHAT?!" Chi-Chi yelled, causing everyone to shrink back. She then headed over to Goku to check his shoulder.

"I'm fine Chi-Chi." Goku said, "Gohan gave me a senzu bean."

"Why would Vegeta do that?!" Asked Bulma.

"Well, you see, apparently they'd agreed to fight using their base powers only…" Piccolo explained, "But when he was just about to lose after a hard-fought battle, Goku instinctively multiplied his power using the Kaio-Ken attack. As a result, the blast he fired horribly burned parts of Vegeta's body and almost all of his left arm was vaporized."

Bulma gasped loudly and ran to Piccolo, grabbing his shoulders and looking up at him, as tears glistened her eyes.

"OH NO!" She yelled in trepidation, tears escaping her eyes, "IS HE OKAY?!"

Piccolo and the others shrank back at her voice. His Namekian hearing wasn't accustomed to such shrillness. After a while he pulled himself together.

"He's fine, dammit!" He responded. Bulma jumped back at his tone, taking her hands off his shoulders and taking a step back. Piccolo then softened his tone. "He's fully recovered and his arm's grown back. The senzu bean works miracles."

Bulma sighed in relief and wiped away her tears. She turned to face Goku.

"Goku, how could you do that to Vegeta?" She asked, the hurt evident on her face, by what her best friend had done, "That's not like you at all… What were you thinking?"

"I'm so sorry Bulma…" Goku said, looking down in shame. He then turned in her direction, "You see… The thing is that I wasn't thinking… At that moment I could see nothing but red… I wanted to win so bad… Truth is I don't blame Vegeta for what he did, cause what I did was a lot worse."

"Goku, you have to control yourself." Said Chi-Chi imploringly, "What if you took it too far and Vegeta got killed?"

Bulma gasped after hearing that.

"If that happened," Bulma began, still hurt, looking at the floor dejectedly, "I could never forgive you Goku… Ever."

Goku went to Bulma and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I understand Bulma." Said Goku, "It won't happen ever again… Truth is I'm starting to see Vegeta as a friend… I think he might feel the same way, but he'd never admit it, of course."

Bulma looked up at him in disbelief. She then smiled warmly at him. Everyone else goggled Goku, save Piccolo who'd heard the mind conversations they had and thus wasn't surprised. Gohan too, was surprised for a second, but then remembered how carefree Vegeta seemed in their house. Still, how could Goku think of Vegeta as a friend? The guy had just bitten off a chunk of his flesh not too long ago.

"It's alright Goku." She said, "I forgive you… Just make sure it doesn't happen again."

Goku smiled back at her, nodded and lifted his hand off her shoulder, heading back towards Chi-Chi.

"Bulma, mind if I take over for you?" Gohan asked, looking at her and gesturing to the barbeque, which was left unattended.

"Sure thing, kid." She said, winking at the young demi-Saiyan boy. "You're such a sweet boy, Gohan."

"Gee, thanks Bulma." Said Gohan, blushing and shifting his face towards the barbeque where he was headed, so no one could see.

Tien narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why do you care about Vegeta so much, Bulma?" He asked, "You've never cried like that before, even when Piccolo fired a hole through Goku's chest and began stepping on it."

Bulma looked at him and was blushing. She turned around, wanting to hide her shame, not that she was ashamed of Vegeta, but just embarrassed at being seen in such a state.

"Well… I… uh… just do." She said.

Krillin raised an eyebrow at her, intrigued.

"Bulma, are you two… you know?"

Bulma turned back around and snarled at him angrily, like she never had before. It worked like a charm. Krillin shrank back, shut his mouth and moved behind Tien for cover.

"Sorry Bulma… I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's just that…" Krillin began.

"Just that… what?" She asked, frowning at him.

Krillin gulped. Everyone looked at him, just as he was about to speak.

"Well… You seem to care about him… a lot… and uh… he's always praising you and gets all defensive about you …" He explained before continuing, "He never does with anyone else… other than himself… so…"

Bulma gasped and placed a fisted hand over her fluttering heart.

"He did that?!" She asked, beaming. She'd felt so much love for him in light of Krillin's revelation.

Everyone began goggling at her. Something was completely off. Krillin shrugged off the thought eating away at him, not wanting to get snarled at again, or worse. Bulma's wrath was the last thing he wanted, well… apart from perhaps Chi-Chi's. He collected himself and answered.

"Well, every time Yamcha showed moments of sadness or rejection when you were mentioned," He began, "He'd never fail to remind him that it was his fault for cheating on you, that he never deserved you and that… he'd never have you again. They seemed to argue with each other a lot… mostly about you."

Bulma's heart fluttered even more and her face was engraved with astonishment.

"Wait, what's going on with Bulma and Yamcha?" Asked Oolong. Bulma looked at him, escaping from her trance.

"They broke up… cause apparently Yamcha cheated on her…" Krillin said, "I never knew until Vegeta mentioned it."

"How would Vegeta know?" Asked Chi-Chi, furrowing her brows curiously.

"He said… uh… Bulma told her." Replied Krillin. He then looked in Bulma's direction. "Is that true, Bulma?"

Bulma blushed.

"Well… uh… yeah…" She said.

"But why tell him that?" Asked Chi-Chi, as intrigued as ever.

"There was no one else to talk at the time and I was literally dying of depression, okay?!" Bulma answered, not happy with the current conversation.

"Bulma…" Began Krillin, "I… uh… think he likes you."

"I already know that Krillin!" She yelled back.

"How do you know that, Bulma?" Asked Chi-Chi.

"I… uh… I… just… do." She said. She was very uncomfortable with this whole situation. While Vegeta's behavior did flatter her… a lot… she didn't appreciate being put in such a predicament.

"There's more Bulma." Said Krillin, who'd regained his composure.

"What?!" She asked, glaring at him, not liking where this conversation was headed.

Krillin shrank back, before sighing, clearing his throat and speaking.

"Well… uh… when he saw the way Master Roshi behaved," He began recounting, "He threatened him not to pull any moves on you or he'd 'rip his spine out and shove it down his gullet' as he put it."

Bulma placed her hands on either side of her face and smiled up at the sky like a little girl fantasizing about her Prince.

"Wow, he really did that?!" Bulma beamed, her face brightened. She was so lost in her own little world that she'd forgotten that the others were watching her every move. They were all gaping at her, like they had never gaped before. "My Prince…"

Goku placed his hand on his eyes, shaking his head. It was hopeless. Oh well, at least neither Vegeta nor Bulma could blame him.

"You're P-P-Prince?" Uttered Roshi, Oolong, Krillin and Ox King in unison, while all the others were left speechless.

Bulma got jolted out of her trance and put a hand over her mouth quickly.

"Bulma…" Began Chi-Chi, staring at her incredulously, "You're… totally in love with Vegeta."

Bulma looked back at her, blushing deeply. She turned away from everyone quickly, scratching the back of her head and laughing sheepishly.

"Bulma." Asked Krillin, looking at her with a mixture of disappointment and disbelief. It seems there may have been more to Yamcha's hunch after all. "Really… Vegeta?"

She turned around, infuriated.

"Fine! I'm in love with him! So what?!" She yelled, not too loudly though, "There's nothing wrong with that! Besides, it's none of your business anyway, so just shut-up and forget about it!"

Krillin gulped and did just that, completely scared out of his wits.

"Come on Krillin." Said Gohan, still focused on the barbeque. He'd put in some of the barbequed steak, seekh kebabs, fish fillets and chicken breast and thigh fillets, which he'd prepared, in the appropriate steel containers, which had sliding lids, allowing him to open and close them easily each time, in order to make sure the food retained its heat. "He's not such a bad guy any more. How many times did he save both our lives? We'd all be dead if it weren't for him. Namek would be destroyed and probably Earth too and Frieza would still be alive... Besides, you heard what he said right before he died. Frieza was the one who forced him to do all those horrible things."

"What?" An alarmed Tien asked, still unaware of Vegeta's history, "I never knew that. I thought Vegeta killed people for fun. I didn't know he was forced against his will."

"Well you should know better!" Exclaimed Bulma, who had made her way in front of him and began poking his chest. Tien shrank back, "Gohan's just a boy and yet he doesn't go around judging and hating a guy for his past deeds! Vegeta was raised into a terrible lifestyle and lost his parents, race and planet because of Frieza, who made him his slave, when he was just a boy-"

Bulma put a hand over her mouth, before she said anymore. She knew Vegeta wouldn't be too happy about it.

"Bulma…" Tien looked at her, suddenly feeling bad for having been so cold towards the Saiyan Prince, "I'm sorry… I had no clue… I just… assumed the worst."

"Well someone like you ought to know better, Tien!" She exclaimed, taking her hand off her mouth, "I don't go around judging you for your past, now do I?!"

Tien sighed in defeat.

"You're right Bulma… I'm sorry…" Tien apologized and then remembered his conversation with Vegeta. "Vegeta did ask me about my past, I don't know why. I asked him, but he just brushed it off… I had a feeling that he could kind of relate to it."

"Why your past?" Asked Gohan, still focused on the barbeque.

Tien explained his past to Gohan, while Chi-Chi and her father listened intently. The others already knew of course, since they were present during the twenty-second world martial-arts tournament, where he narrowly defeated Goku and became champion. Although Piccolo wasn't there at that particular tournament, his remarkable hearing did allow him to listen in on everything Tien told Vegeta. After explaining himself, Tien continued.

"But I changed…" He said, "So did Piccolo. Do you really think Vegeta can change?"

"I don't know Tien…" Said Krillin, scratching the back of his head, "I want to believe so. After witnessing the true extent of his power, I know he'd make a great ally. If we had someone like that on our side, our chances of survival would be far higher."

"He's already on our side, Krillin." Bulma stated confidently.

"You really think so, Bulma?" Asked Tien.

"I know he is." She said, not losing any of her composure.

"Yeah, I kind of felt a change in him too…" Chi-Chi stated, "From the way he behaved when he was at our house."

"He… He was at your house?" Bulma asked, surprised yet again.

"Yeah… He ate breakfast with us." Chi-Chi began and then smirked, ready to proudly recount the tale of her victory, "He doubted my cooking skills, but when he ate my meals, he was forced to admit that they were the best he had ever tasted."

Bulma was startled by the revelation, as was Ox King.

"Chi-Chi, don't you think that was a little dangerous?" Asked Ox King.

"At first I thought so… but afterwards, I realized that he really wasn't all that bad…" She replied.

"Wow, he really ate breakfast with… you guys?" Krillin asked, exchanging glances between Goku and Chi-Chi.

Chi-Chi nodded.

"He was a bit of a jerk in the beginning." She began, "… But soon he showed me the proper courtesy… Can you believe he bowed to me out of respect, after finishing his meals?"

Everyone stared at Chi-Chi wide-eyed. The day was just full of surprises.

"What?!" Asked a shocked Bulma. After a while, she continued, "So what did you do?"

"Well, I smiled and bowed back…" She responded, "I though it was… nice… that he did that… I never expected it."

"Wow, Chi-Chi…" Bulma said, smiling and placing her hand on her fluttering heart, while looking up at the sky as if Vegeta were up there, smiling down on her, "He's changing so much."

"Wow, Bulma." Chi-Chi smirked, "I didn't know you were in love with him that much."

Bulma blushed, looking to the ground, scratching the back of her head and laughing sheepishly.

"Well… I guess it's kind of obvious, huh?" She stated.

Chi-Chi laughed.

"Well yeah… But honestly… I don't care what any idiot thinks." Chi-Chi said, smirking, "I think he'd be great for you."

Everyone began gawking at Chi-Chi.

"You mean it?" Bulma beamed, grabbing her friend's hands.

"Of course I do!" She replied, exclaiming, "A woman's intuition's never wrong!"

"Wow, thanks Chi-Chi! You're great!" Exclaimed Bulma, still smiling broadly at her.

"Mm Hm… Just follow my advice and you should have him within your grasp." Chi-Chi said, a smug look on her face.

"Chi-Chi, that's not what I want." She said, sighing, releasing her hold on Chi-Chi and looking at the ground below her and then back at her friend again, "I had Yamcha 'within my grasp' and look how well that turned out. One of the main reasons I like Vegeta so much is because I can't control him or tell him what to do. He does things the way he likes and takes charge. He dictates his own authority. It took me a long time to realize it, but that's the kind of man I want, not some pushover like Yamcha."

Chi-Chi looked at her curiously.

"I see…" She said, "Sounds interesting…"

"Uh… Bulma." Began Master Roshi.

"Oh. Hi Master Roshi." She smirked, "I wonder what's been keeping you so silent all this time? Oh let me guess, Vegeta scared you to death?"

The old master laughed sheepishly.

"Well… you know…" He began and then spoke desperately, "By the way, please don't tell him about… uh… you know... the past."

"Sure." Bulma replied, grinning, "As long as you never do it again…"

"Yeah sure…" Roshi said, "I like my spine right where it is."

Everyone laughed at his joke.

"So Bulma, Vegeta likes you… and you love him, so why haven't you… you know?" Chi-Chi asked, after the laughter died down.

"Well… hopefully soon." Bulma answered with a half-truth. Technically they were together but hadn't completely committed themselves just yet.

"By the way, why isn't Vegeta here?" Krillin asked, "Goku said he had to leave Capsule Corporation for some reason."

"Yeah he did." Bulma sighed dejectedly.

"How come?" Asked Chi-Chi.

"He just needed time away from this place." Bulma explained, "But he'll be back soon."

"Oh…" Said Krillin.

After a short moment of silence, Piccolo continued speaking from where he left off.

Anyway, as I was saying, before you interrupted me." Piccolo said, glaring at Bulma as he emphasized the word 'you', "Vegeta was infuriated with Goku for making him lose his arm. He thought he'd lost it for good and he could see nothing but rage. He headed back to Goku, intent on killing him."

Bulma gasped at that and Piccolo gave her a warning glare, as if telling her not to interrupt him again, which she heeded.

"With his left arm gone and parts of his body horribly burnt, he didn't stand a chance." He continued, "Goku easily blocked his attacks, but didn't hit back. Eventually Vegeta found an opening between Goku's neck and shoulder on his right side, where he bit him and ripped out a piece of his flesh. Goku felt such horrible pain, that he could barely concentrate on anything else. That's when Vegeta knocked him unconscious with a hard right uppercut. Then he just stood there and after a while, he fell unconscious himself… Afterwards, Gohan managed to wake Goku up for a moment and gave him a senzu bean. After that, Goku gave Vegeta a senzu bean as well. When he realized that his arm was back and his body completely healed, Vegeta's anger just about vanished."

Bulma sighed in relief.

"Truth is, I think Vegeta could've killed me at that point." Goku confessed, "He was most likely having mixed feelings and eventually he just passed out before he could come to a decision."

"He wouldn't Goku." Said Bulma, looking up at him, "I just know he wouldn't, no matter what… He's not a ruthless murderer anymore. He's different now."

"I know Bulma." Affirmed Goku, looking back and smiling, "If he was the same, he would've finished me off without hesitating… There's still some room for improvement and… I think you can help him with that. You've already helped him a lot. I can tell."

Since their feelings for each other were no longer a secret, Goku said what was on his mind for a long time.

"Thanks Goku." Bulma smiled back.

"If I understand correctly, Goku, you're saying that Vegeta spared your life?" Asked Master Roshi.

Goku looked at him and nodded his head in the affirmative.

"Interesting…" Roshi said, "Having a power like that on our side could prove to be of great benefit."

"Tell me about it." Said Krillin.

"That guy still scares the crap out of me." Said Oolong, "I mean, he's a total psychopath."

SMACK!

Bulma landed her fist on top of Oolong's head.

"Oolong, you cowardly pig!" Bulma began her rant, "Everything scares the crap out of you, so just shut-up! And if you ever think about insulting Vegeta like that again, I'll tell him and he'll make a nice big ham sandwich out of you!"

Oolong trembled, as he considered her threat.

"Oh God, please don't tell him… I'll do anything." Implored Oolong, the fear evident in his face.

"Well you can do one thing." She said and then pointed to the barbeque, "And that is to shut your cowardly mouth, before you end up there."

"Okay, okay, jeez." Said a petrified Oolong, holding his hands up in surrender.

Everyone had a bit of a laugh at the expense of the pig, save Piccolo, who never found such things amusing in the least. After a while, Master Roshi restarted the conversation.

"You know, I could feel some ridiculously high powers clashing with one-another when I was at Kame House." He began speaking, "It was hard to believe that it was the two of you though. You're powers are unfathomable, far beyond anything I expected. It's hard to believe that I was once your master, Goku. I've long since been surpassed by my students."

Goku went towards his old master and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey… I'd never be where I am without your help and guidance Master." Goku said, "The skills and lessons you taught me are embedded inside of me forever… And my greatest move is the Kamehameha, which I learned from you."

"Yeah Master." Said Krillin, "Besides, your training still benefits me to this day. I might not be much help in the battle against the androids, but I'm glad you help me exceed the limits of my power. Goku, Yamcha and myself couldn't have asked for a better master."

"Thanks boys," Roshi began, "But you give me too much credit. Most of your progress you owe to yourselves, Korin, Kami and King Kai."

As they were about to interrupt, Master Roshi put his hand up to stop them.

"It's true boys," Said Roshi, before continuing, "It's okay, I'm just honored to have had the privilege of teaching the three of you. You're amazing warriors, especially you Goku. It's a shame Yamcha couldn't be here. I did want to see him a lot. It's been much too long."

"I'm sorry Master." Bulma said, feeling a little bad after hearing him say that, "I'm just still mad at him… really mad for what he did… But I would've let him come, if I'd known you wanted to see him so bad."

"It's okay Bulma," Master Roshi replied dejectedly, "I just hope that you do forgive him sometime soon. I just hope all of us can be together in the near future. Once the androids arrive, we may never have that opportunity again, that's all…"

Roshi's words made Bulma feel worse than ever. Despite his perverted antics, she couldn't deny her regard for him as an old friend and a great friend. When he'd died all those years ago as a result of trying to seal King Piccolo in the electronic jar, she was plagued with sorrow. Seeing him like this tore her apart.

"I'll try master." Bulma said, "Whenever I see him again, hopefully I'll find it in my heart to forgive him… But I'll never be in a relationship with him ever again, that much is certain."

Roshi simply nodded and smiled at her, seeing the uneasiness in her features. He knew he was causing it and he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. After a short moment, Chi-Chi spoke.

"Bulma, seriously," She began, "Would you ever consider being in a relationship with anyone other than Vegeta?"

Bulma froze at that. She was pinned to a corner, but decided not to lie about her feelings.

"No." She stated confidently, after a moment's pause, "He's the only one I want and the only one I'll ever want."

"Wow, Bulma." Was Chi-Chi's response, "When you were with Yamcha you didn't rule out the possibility of throwing him aside if someone better came along, but with Vegeta, you somehow just know he's the best for you, right?"

Bulma blushed and looked down on the floor.

"Well… yeah." She answered.

"That's how I felt when I first met Goku…" Chi-Chi stated, "Vegeta's definitely your guy."

"Thanks Chi-Chi." Bulma said, smiling warmly at her. "That really means a lot."

"Food's ready everyone!" Gohan exclaimed, "Get it while it's hot!"

Goku rushed over and grabbed everything he could. Afterwards, the others followed suite. Each had grabbed a plate of food, except Piccolo who didn't eat, being a Namekian. Goku and Gohan kept piling and refilling theirs, as they ate.

"I just wish Vegeta could be here right now." Said Bulma, looking down dejectedly down at the floor. She needed to express her feeling of loneliness.

Everyone looked at her and could see her genuine disheartenment.

"Don't worry, Bulma." Chi-Chi said, smirking, "I'm sure your Prince will be back soon enough."

"Chi-Chi!" Bulma reprimanded, before continuing to speak, "He's not my Prince… not yet."

"Don't worry… You'll win him over…" Said Chi-Chi, before continuing, "By the way, am I correct in saying that Yamcha's the only one who doesn't know how you two feel for each other?"

Bulma stiffened. She didn't want Yamcha to know. Not yet.

"Yes… Listen everyone!" She exclaimed so they could all hear her. They turned their attention to her. "Do not tell Yamcha about any of this okay? I don't want him to know just yet."

"How come?" Asked Chi-Chi.

"He may be a double-crossing jerk…" Bulma said, "But I don't think it's right to just throw it in his face like that. Once he comes to apologize to me personally, I'll let him know myself. Truth is if he finds out now, he'll never have the heart to even look at me again and I don't want that. He still was one of my oldest friends and I want to be his friend again when the time is right… Please don't tell him. In fact, don't tell anyone."

The others agreed.

"Anyway, what say we all have some fun after we eat?" Bulma asked.

"Sounds good to me." Replied Krillin, smiling. He was starting to feel too awkward about the whole situation.

After their stomachs settled down a little, the gang went over to the recreation room and began engaging in various other activities, such as table tennis, pool, poker, chess and air hockey.

After a good three hours, they'd had enough and decided to watch a movie. Piccolo was meditating nearby the whole time, not at all interesting in the trivial activities occurring in the house.

After about 5 hours since their meal, they all sat down in the living room, talking out the rest of the day, while the TV was on.

In no time at all, it was already 7:00pm. Goku brought Piccolo inside and the rest of the gang were about to depart, having held on to Goku. After saying goodbye, he took each of them to their homes, using his instant transmission.

They soon disappeared and Bulma was left alone once again. The day had been great for her. Other than being in Vegeta's presence and feeling his warm embrace and comfort, it was the best she'd felt in a long, long time. She went back to working on the gravity chamber. After about two hours, however she began longing for her Prince to return.

She tried to distract herself by working on the gravity chamber parts, but he was all that was on her mind. She needed him so badly. She felt she was going insane. Little did she know that his need for her was just as great, if not greater than hers. After about half an hour, she decided to get some sleep and so headed for her room, took a quick shower, dried herself, changed into her lavender nightgown and hit the bed. It was hard to sleep that night and for about three hours she tossed and turned. But then she reminded herself that Vegeta would want her to be strong and so she would be. With that thought, it took her about twenty more minutes to finally fall asleep.

~~~~


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Tournament

Before Vegeta had left Capsule Corporation to battle Goku, he had put the capsule containing his bathroom accessories down on a specific spot by a river. He went there and picked it up, making his way around the world to explore and possibly find a suitable place to settle. Living in the wilderness would be easy enough for him, but being alone for all that time would drift his mind to thoughts about Bulma. He was still wearing only a pair of track-pants with boxers underneath, which was now in horrible condition, following Vegeta's heated battle with his rival. He kept the capsule zipped up in his right pocket.

During his flight around the planet, he had found a town on the other side of the world from West City. It was called New-Dragon town, the home of several accomplished martial-arts masters. Perhaps he could learn some new techniques from them, though he highly doubted it. He did know from past experience that other weaker beings did often have a sound grasp on techniques that could be considered useful or perhaps even pivotal – the most notable of these was when he came to Earth and learned that not only could the beings on the planet sense Ki levels without any artificial equipment or devices, but could manipulate their own power levels as they pleased.

However, the very foremost of Vegeta's requirements was accommodation.

"… Whoever wins this tournament, earns free lessons from Master Zhao Shing for three days, the greatest martial-arts master in New-Dragon town." Said an announcer, "If you have two-hundred Zeni, you can enter now. Three spots are still available."

Vegeta heard this and his curiosity piqued.

"Hey… I'm entering!" Vegeta exclaimed approaching the announcer.

"Okay, that'll be two-hundred Zeni." The announcer replied.

"I have no money." Vegeta responded.

"Well either you pay up or stop wasting my t-"

"I have a better idea." Vegeta said, "I take on all these other clowns at once and if I win I get free lessons from this… Zhao Shing… plus free accommodation and meals for three days."

All the other fighters had heard Vegeta's bold statement and were goggling at him. After a while, their surprise turned to fury.

"You little runt!" Spat one of the fighters, a big, bald, built man wearing a white Kung Fu shirt and black pants, "I ought to teach you some respect!"

Vegeta laughed.

"You can try but it won't end well for you." Vegeta smirked.

"You cocky little-"

Vegeta put his hand up to silence him.

"If I lose," Vegeta said, "I'll be a punching bag for all of you for three days. How does that sound? Of course, someone else will have to pay my entry fee or perhaps you can split it up amongst yourselves."

Vegeta's victory was guaranteed and so taunting these half-wits only served as a means of entertaining him.

The other fighters all dropped their jaws, but their looks of disbelief soon transformed into smirks.

"It is agreed," Said Master Zhao Shing who appeared up from a high vantage point on the stadium, then jumped down. He had a white beard, well done-up white hair and was about Master Roshi's height. He looked similar to Jackie Chun, aka Master Roshi alter ego in the World Martial Arts Tournaments. He was wearing a crimson red Kung-Fu Shirt with two elegant-looking golden dragons designed on either side of the front and the symbol of the dragon embedded on the back in black and white, similar to the way Master Roshi's "turtle" symbol was designed on Goku, Krillin and Yamcha's uniforms. He also wore black pants. "As for the fee, it is not required."

Vegeta smirked at him, knowing that the master was there the whole time.

"Well, ready to get your butt handed to you cocky?" Said another fighter, punching his fist against his palm in enthusiasm.

"Enough talk, let's get to it… gentlemen." Replied Vegeta, smirking.

They all scowled at him for having such nerve.

They were all inside the ring. The whole town had heard the news that one man was challenging twenty-nine others to earn free lessons from the master.

It turned out to be a gold mine and within twenty minutes the stadium was packed full – each seat costing thirty Zeni. Around two thousand spectators were watching the fight that was about to begin within ten minutes, while many others were at their homes waiting for the televised version of the battle to commence.

Vegeta was sitting near the stadium ring focusing on his mind-training and waiting for the fight to commence, while all the other fighters were staring at him intently, some smirking, some grinning, some glaring and others gritting their teeth.

Once eight minutes were up, Vegeta's eyes snapped open and he jumped towards the ring, doing a series of flips mid-air and landing gracefully on his feet.

~~~~

Yamcha was now at Naomi's house, looking after the children, while she was at work, since school was off that day, due to a fire that had occurred in the school's science lab, which had severely injured two janitors and a school teacher and left some others lightly wounded. All three children went to "West City Primary School", although it was Jethro's last year.

"Yamcha, come inside quick!" Exclaimed Hunter. He was often glued to the martial-arts channel.

"We're busy training, you know?!" Responded Jethro. Yamcha was showing him some moves, while Jasmine was inside reading one of her fairy-tales.

"Listen you two," Said Hunter, "There's this crazy lunatic fighting 29 guys to win some free lessons from this guy named Master Zhao Shing."

"What?!" Replied Yamcha, "I've heard he's one of the best masters in the world, possibly on the same level as Master Roshi and Master Shin, the Crane Hermit… Wait… Who's the challenger?"

"He has some wild as hair, he's short, really well-built and has some crazy looking scars on his body." Began Hunter, "But he's a fool. There's no way he can beat 29 people. That's impossible."

Yamcha froze for a moment.

'It couldn't be… Why in the world would he? Nah, I'm being an idiot, there's no way.'

"Yamcha…" Said Jethro, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Quick, let's go inside, I want to see what's going on." Said Yamcha.

He went inside and Jethro followed along. He too was curious.

Yamcha stiffened when he saw who was on the television, wearing the same track-pants and shoes he was wearing when they had all met up earlier, during and after his battle with Goku.

"V-V-Vegeta?" He stuttered.

"You know this guy, Yamcha?" Asked Jethro.

Yamcha ignored Jethro's question.

"These guys are all dead-meat." He said, "Vegeta's one of the strongest fighters on the planet… To be blunt there's only one guy on the planet who can beat him."

Hunter and Jethro gaped at him.

"I-I-Is h-he… stronger than you?" Asked Jethro.

"Way stronger… My power's nothing compared to his." Yamcha answered.

"I-I-Impossible…" Said Hunter, before continuing, "D-D-Do you think h-h-he c-can w-win?"

Yamcha scoffed.

"Even I could beat those twenty-nine idiots at once, easily." Replied Yamcha, "What the hell is Vegeta thinking? I thought he'd be in West City."

"H-H-H-e lives in W-W-West C-City?" Asked Hunter.

"Yeah…" Replied Yamcha.

"ONE MINUTE TILL THE BATTLE BEGINS!"

"Shhh… The fight's about to start guys." Said Jethro, who had been hearing the conversation but turned his attention to the screen after hearing the announcement.

"This is no fight… It's a massacre." Stated Yamcha, matter-of-factly.

Jethro and Hunter again stared at him for a while. How could someone as powerful as Yamcha appear so unsettled?

"LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

~~~~

Five opponents lunged at Vegeta, while the others looked on, smirking, ready to put the impudent little man in his place. The moment they neared him, he disappeared and was behind them. He felt like dragging this out for a while just to kill time.

"Hey where'd he go?!" One of them shouted. He turned around and saw him facing him.

"Bye…" Smirked Vegeta and lightly tapped him on the forehead with his index finger, instantly knocking him out cold.

~~~~

"Did you see that?!" Jehtro exclaimed.

"Yeah, he took the guy out by just touching him!" Hunter stated, disbelievingly, "That's impossible."

Yamcha looked on, curious as to what Vegeta's motives were. Why was he not training as usual? And what interest did he have in fighting some bozos or training with Master Zhao Shing? There's no way Vegeta would tell him anything. Perhaps Bulma would have some answers… But then, she probably wouldn't want to speak with him either.

~~~~

Vegeta bared his fangs evilly at the other four fighters, who shrank back in complete fear.

"What's the matter?! Don't tell me you're scared!" He smirked, "Feel free to quit anytime you want!"

Now the other fighters saw nothing but red. Being insulted like that was more than they could take. The lunged at him and in an instant, all four were out cold. No one had a clue as to what just happened. Vegeta had merely dodged and lightly struck each of them, making sure he wouldn't kill them or leave them with any permanent injury.

~~~~

"I… I didn't even see him move!" Exclaimed Jethro.

"This is crazy…" Said Hunter, looking on disbelievingly. "How did he take them out so quick?"

"I hate to break it to you, but even I can move that fast… easily." Said Yamcha, "His real speed is far greater than what he's displaying."

"You… you can?" The boys asked in unison.

Yamcha simply nodded, then momentarily gazed at the screen and back as if to tell them to continue concentrating on the match. Maybe he'd take it up a notch with these children. After all, it wouldn't hurt anyone, would it?

~~~~

"I'm getting bored of this little game…" Vegeta looked down on the ground while speaking, as the other twenty-four combatants surrounded him. "Why don't the rest of you weaklings come strike all at once?"

"How about you stay still instead of running like a little bitch?!" One of them shouted. They knew that no matter how hard they tried, he'd easily dodge their attacks. They couldn't follow his movements at all, so maybe provoking him would be the best option for now.

"Alright fine…" Vegeta replied in a nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

The fighter ran towards him and landed his hardest straight punch on Vegeta's forehead. The Saiyan Prince smirked.

~~~~

"He got him!" Exclaimed Jethro, not knowing which side he was on, although after hearing about how ridiculously powerful Vegeta was from Yamcha, he was inclining towards the short warrior.

"The only thing he managed to do was break his own hand." Replied Yamcha, knowingly.

The two children looked at him incredulously once again.

~~~~

"AAARRRGGGHHHHH MY HAND!" The fighter screamed in agony. He felt as if a wrecking ball had just crushed his hand. His arm was also fractured badly.

"What's the matter?" Vegeta smirked, "I thought you wanted me to stay still?"

Vegeta flicked him on the forehead, knocking him out, in order to lessen his suffering. The others were stunned. What was he? His power, speed and durability were unbelievable.

"You're not… human!" Said two of the twenty-three remaining fighters in unison.

"HAHAHAHA… Perhaps not…" Vegeta replied, laughing evilly, "Maybe you'd all like to quit now?"

The other fighters were petrified, but still infuriated at the gall of their little opponent.

They all charged right at him at the same time. Seeing that he had had enough fun playing with them, he just knocked them all out in a single instant and landed gracefully nearby.

"Well… I guess that's the end of it." Vegeta said, in a bored tone. He had a stoic expression on his face as he looked around at his defeated opponents for a few moments.

"WOW TWENTY-THREE MEN ALL TAKEN OUT IN AN INSTANT! HISTORY HAS DEFINITELY BEEN MADE IN THIS TOURNAMENT!"

Had Vegeta known that this little stunt of his would make him an icon, he may not have pulled it. All he really wanted was to get some accommodation and possibly learn some handy new tricks. Luckily for him, he hadn't bothered to give anyone his name.

"THE MYSTERY FIGHTER IS THE WINNER!"

~~~~

Jethro and Hunter were lost for words, while Yamcha was completely perplexed. He still couldn't figure out just what on Earth Vegeta was doing fighting some bozos that stood no chance against him.

After a while, Jethro broke the silence.

"Is… is he… uh… human?"

"Can't tell you, kid." Yamcha responded, chuckling. "By the way, I was thinking we could take things up a notch with your training. It won't be easy, I'll tell you that… In fact you'll probably be wishing you were dead, but the two of you can be a lot stronger than you are now. What do you say?"

"YEAH!" They both beamed in unison.

"Well, sure…" Yamcha said, "I guess we can start on the weekend. Your sister will be home soon and I should get her approval first."

~~~~

Vegeta jumped off the stadium. Master Zhao Shing approached him. His skill and strength weren't quite as great as Master Roshi's or Master Shin's, though they were close and he could still hold his own really well. In fact the Dragon School, which he currently headed, was founded by a great student of Master Mutaito's (i.e. Roshi's old master) and thus many techniques he used emulated the old master himself.

"Interesting…" He began, "I could barely follow your movements and yet I'm certain that had you wanted, you could have moved much faster… So I was-"

"What say we take this little conversation somewhere private?" Interrupted Vegeta.

The old master nodded in assent.

The two went to his dojo, where there was no one else present.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: A familiar power

"Now let's get straight down to business…" Stated Master Shing bluntly, "You know as well as I that my power is like an insect compared to yours."

Vegeta smirked at him after hearing this.

'There's more to this old geezer than I thought.'

''So question is…" Master Shing continued, "Why are you here?"

Vegeta laughed a little.

"I've learned new techniques from opponents far weaker than myself over the years." He answered, "And they've served their purpose at times."

"Interesting…" Master Shing observed, "So what could you hope to learn from me?"

"I was hoping you would answer that." Vegeta said, "… Although to be entirely honest, I'm only looking for a distraction."

"I see…" He said, raising an eyebrow curiously, "And why might that be?"

Vegeta scowled at him.

"That is my own business!" He responded harshly.

"Something is bothering you young one…" The old master said, "That much is obvious… Well then… perhaps some mind-training will help."

"That doesn't work…" Vegeta replied, beginning to open up slowly, "I cannot concentrate properly. My mind is unclear and usually occupied with thoughts of… one person."

The old master furrowed his brows in thought, for a moment.

"This person…" He said, "He or she is important to you?"

"It's a she!" Vegeta scowled in reply, before continuing more calmly, "And… yes… she is."

"I see. It is someone you are deeply attached with." He observed, "You seem… concerned for her and wish to see her… But you cannot… Am I right?"

Vegeta snarled at him for reminding him of this, however the old man was unmoved. How did he know about that? How could he tell? It seems there was a lot more to him than he realized. Truth is he could read his body language, feel his energy movements and read into the varying nuances of his deep black eyes, all in perfect harmony. Master Shing was very skilled when it came to looking through another.

"Well I can see that I am right, but I will not press the matter further." Master Shing said, "However I can teach you a special form of mind-training that allows you to focus your thoughts a lot better and gets rid of distrac-."

"She's no distraction!" Vegeta yelled angrily, "I do not wish to forget her or to… lose my… affection towards her… just to hold myself together without going insane."

The old master chuckled a little.

"What I was referring to were thoughts that distract you from your true focus and intentions." He said, before frowning, "As far as your attachment with this woman goes, it is not something I can teach you to get rid of even if I wanted to. I can see it in every part of you. The feelings you harbor for her cannot be undone, as far as I can tell. I have never felt anything quite as strong… If my guess is right, it is that much of your own power comes from the need to protect this woman… That is your central purpose, am I right?"

Vegeta grimaced at him. The old master may have been too smart for his own good. Then again, maybe Vegeta could learn to focus himself better if he heeded his words. So he simply sighed in defeat and nodded his head.

"Hmmm…" The master mused for a while, "What you need is to learn how to focus your thoughts better so that when you are unable to see her, your mind does not go wandering off and destroying itself from the inside, instead remaining focused on your primary mission… Once you learn this technique, your mental abilities will be far greater that ever before."

Vegeta's curiosity piqued after hearing this but he couldn't get his hopes up just yet… He didn't even know if what the old man was about to teach him would work or was anything he didn't already know. By the afternoon of the very next day (Thursday), Vegeta had learned this new technique and was able to focus his thoughts a lot better. He really enjoyed the old master's meals too and of course, used his own toiletries, when required.

The mind training, as it turns out was far more beneficial than Vegeta would ever have bargained for. He was able to focus so deeply that after a few hours, he could feel a huge well of power inside of him, something different from the Super Saiyan powers he normally felt, something primal and instinctual and something that called to him – he yearned to have this power completely within his grasp. (A/N: Yes, this idea is also emulated from "Rediscovering Honor" - it is one of my favorite concepts ever, if not my very favorite).

This power felt very familiar to him, as if he had it all along but was unable to focus himself properly to draw from it. It was like a gigantic volcano just waiting to explode. He knew that if he were able to tap into powers like that, his own base power would drastically increase. Thus he formulated a plan… He would no longer try to reach Super-Saiyan as of just now. He would instead dig into this gigantic well of primal energy soaring within him. Once this was accomplished, he would focus his aim on becoming a Super-Saiyan. Then he would finally be the strongest, by a long shot. He didn't know how long it would take, but it would be worth the wait.

He spent the rest of the day in Master Shing's place, focusing deeply on this new power of his and felt that it wouldn't be too long before he was able to unleash the beast within. However, it was of utmost importance that he learn to control it, tame it and make it his own. Other than stopping to take meals, cleanse himself or answer the call of nature, his central focus was on his mind training.

The old Master was stunned every time the Saiyan ate meals. Perhaps taking him up on his offer wasn't such a good idea… Then again, he could see that his training benefited the younger warrior a lot.

When it was nighttime, Vegeta went to sleep in a guest room set up for him.

~~~~

Meanwhile at Capsule Corporation that day, things went a lot better for Bulma. She refused to be disheartened by the fact that Vegeta was not with her. Instead she reveled in the fact that they would soon bond and be together. She was also able to comfort herself with memories of yesterday's reunion with all her friends. She tried to avoid reminiscing on the day she had spent with Vegeta… the day when he openly displayed and expressed his affection for her – doing so would only make her long for him more. She had spent a lot of time working on some new inventions for the company, having lagged behind the previous weeks. Despite lacking a lot of the required mental concentration, she was able to progress pretty far up.

"Bulma dear, have you seen the newspaper?!" Shouted her exuberant mother, opening the door to her lab. Dr. Brief had already known what the news was, since he spend his mornings reading the newspaper, however, he decided to hide it, not wanting to hear his wife blabber on about Vegeta. However, a few hours after lunch, Mrs. Brief was sitting down flipping through the newspaper and had found the article.

Bulma was jolted out of her thoughts.

"What is it mom?" She asked, after collecting herself.

"It's Vegeta."

Bulma immediately ran up and grabbed the newspaper from her. It was open on the third page. The headline read:

"MYSTERY FIGHTER KNOCKS OUT TWENTY-THREE OPPONENTS INSTANTANEOUSLY!"

She saw his picture. He was shirtless, wearing the track-pants he had on, the night before he had left. Bulma gasped upon seeing him and her heart fluttered. He looked so vividly handsome, especially with that trademark stoic façade of his. He simply defined the word hardcore.

"Isn't he just amazing?!" Her mother exclaimed.

"Why would he be fighting some… guys?" Bulma asked.

"I've got no clue dear…" Replied Mrs. Brief.

"Well, whatever it is… I'll ask him whenever he comes back…" She replied, sighing.

She went back to focusing on her work and when she felt she had done enough, she began working on parts for the gravity machine for the rest of the day, before finally heading to bed. She slept well that day.

~~~~


	32. Chapter 32

**Warning: Lemony zest**

Chapter 32: Surprises

It was Friday, around dawn time. Vegeta woke up, feeling a change in him. Not just on the inside but on the outside too. He could feel something familiar – something he hadn't felt in a long time. He got up off the bed and suddenly he knew what had happened. A part of him was restored.

Vegeta's tail had grown back last night. It had been cut off nearly three years ago, so how could it suddenly grow back overnight? He was astounded by what just happened. The doctor working for Frieza had guaranteed that there was no way his tail would ever grow back… And yet a part of him was not surprised at all. This must have happened as a result of discovering and harnessing some of the deep well of primordial power he had felt coursing through his veins, the day earlier. A tail was, of course, the very thing that made Saiyans who they were. It gave them the ability to transform into the Oozaru, which was of course their most inherent trademark power.

Vegeta smirked. This was perfect. His tail was back. He never counted on it, but now that it happened, he felt complete. The old master was to thank of course. What's more, this was the third and final day he would be separated from Bulma. He planned to return to Capsule Corporation that night, around 9:00 pm. But he would have to make a stop first. He just remembered – he needed something else.

Vegeta headed towards Master Shing, who was preparing breakfast.

"Old man?" He asked.

"You know, you should call me master." Answered the old master.

"A Prince does not call anyone his master… old man." Replied Vegeta impassively.

"Oh… a Prince, huh?" The old master then noticed his tail and narrowed his eyes at Vegeta, curiously, "A tail? You never had that before… You're not human are you?"

"Of course not, genius." Replied Vegeta, smirking, "But that's not important… I wanted to ask you if you could give me two pillows, a large and thick bed quilt, a bed sheet and a thick rag. I need them all capsulized."

"Why?" Asked the old man. He wasn't too startled by the revelation… He'd known about aliens that inhabited the Earth, though up until now, he'd never met one.

"It's what I need…" Replied Vegeta, growing impatient, "So… yes or no?"

Master Shing sighed in defeat.

"Fine…" He said, "Whenever you're about to leave, ask me and I'll get them for you."

"Hn…" Replied Vegeta, smiling inwardly. The old master continued preparing breakfast, while another thought hit Vegeta, "By the way… I was wondering, why do you charge so much for combatants wishing to learn under you?"

The old master looked at him and sighed.

"There's an orphanage not too far from here, which I run…" He answered, ". It's where I go when I'm not around here, in case you're wondering… There are thirty-five children there who had lost their parents as a result of an earthquake that hit this town a few months back. Although I did receive grants from the local council to help take care of them, it just wasn't enough, so I used my skills as a master to earn what I needed… I teach the children how to fight and I also educate them. Within a few years, they'll be fit to fend for themselves."

Vegeta contemplated his words for a while.

"I see…" He said. The charitable behavior of many human beings never ceased to surprise him. He wondered why they were like this. A part of him felt as though he need to ask how the old master was doing. "So… do you ever face difficulties?"

The old man was surprised at the concern he could see behind the stubborn warrior's stoic expression. However, he reassured him.

"No, son…" He answered, smiling, "The money I earn from teaching students here and there as well as tournaments like this have turned out to be more than enough."

Vegeta merely nodded his head in response, sighing inwardly.

After breakfast, Vegeta continued his mind training, digging deeper and deeper into the primal power he felt brewing within him. His powers were increasing, but he knew that he would still need to spend time training excessively hard under heavy gravity in order to draw out the vast majority of it.

At around 8:00 pm he decided to leave the place, a short while after having eaten dinner, but not before asking the master to give him what he needed. Master Shing also gave him a dozen Kung-Fu uniforms of various colors (shirts, pants and shoes) with the Chinese character for "Dragon" etched on the back, which he had ordered a tailor to make for Vegeta right after the tournament. Vegeta was reluctant, but eventually accepted it. It was all placed in a big box that was capsulized and placed in his right pocket along with the capsule containing his bathroom accessories. Vegeta couldn't help but feel grateful after everything the master had done for him. He had come to this town merely looking for a distraction to keep himself from losing his mind, but had left with a clearer mind, greater focus, a new tail, much stronger than ever and most importantly, a new power he would work towards drawing out.

Before flying off, he turned to face him. He still couldn't call him master, since he was a Prince and it wasn't right for him to lower his stature in front of anyone. Instead he bowed his head to him. Master Shing smiled at him and bowed back, surprised by such the show of respect.

"Good luck young warrior." He said, "I can tell you're preparing for a difficult battle… Keep working hard and win."

Vegeta smirked at him, nodded and flew off, headed towards Capsule Corporation.

'That young man truly something special.' Thought the old master as he saw him leave.

That day (Friday), Bulma continued working until a few hours after lunch, stopping only to take meals. It was about 4:00 pm and she decided to spend a little while with Naomi. After all, she did make a promise.

And so, Bulma called her. Although a few days back, Naomi did call, Vegeta was in the hospital at the time and since his recovery, she hadn't thought of calling her back.

Bulma and Naomi had agreed to spend the day together at the latter's house. Bulma got dressed before leaving, wearing an emerald green short silk knee-level dress and matching emerald green high heels as well as appropriate make-up and glossy purple lipstick. She tied up her hair into a high rope-braid, fashioning a few short bangs on her front and leaving long noticeable strands of frontal hair falling on either side of her face, just as she had on her final date with Yamcha and two days ago, when her friends visited her. She was looking forward to meeting her and getting to know her and the family better.

DING DONG!

"Hi Naomi." Beamed Bulma, after the door was open.

"Hey Bulma, you're looking really pretty." She replied.

"Look who's talking." Bulma replied, jokingly.

Naomi laughed and the two went inside.

"Hey it's you, you're that girl who was with Yam-"

"Yeah, that's me." Replied Bulma, interrupting Hunter and forcing a smile, not wanting to hear her ex's name. She still wasn't in the mood to speak with him.

Bulma and Naomi plus family continued talking to each other about what was going on with their lives and they found out that she was not only the daughter of Capsule Corporation's President, but the Vice-President and heiress to the company.

"Wow… I never knew." Said Naomi, stunned at the revelation.

"That's surprising…" She said and then frowned "Those media pricks are always pestering me and writing garbage stories about me all over the newspapers."

Naomi laughed a little. They continued talking and Bulma learned about Naomi's life-story. She couldn't help but feel sad after hearing what she went through and the burden on her shoulders.

"Wow…" Bulma said, "You're so strong… I don't know if I could ever handle something like that."

"It's simple Bulma." Naomi explained, "You find a reason to live on and let that be your drive. These children are everything to me, so I do what I can to make sure they're safe and happy."

Bulma smiled at her. She then remembered what Vegeta said to her… That she was his reason for living, for changing into someone completely different and for neglecting the abhorrent lifestyle he lived. She was enthralled, just thinking about it.

"Bulma, what's up?" Naomi asked, noticing her high spirits.

"Oh… it's… uh… just something I've been waiting for that's about to happen." Bulma said, speaking the last part of the sentence at a quick pace, unable to hide the delight in her face.

"What is?" Naomi asked.

"I… I just can't… say." Bulma answered, "I… promised not to."

Naomi furrowed her brows at her curiously.

"You look like you're about to be married." Naomi observed.

Bulma began to blush and lowered her face to the ground.

"It's… uh… not that." She said. "It's a whole lot better than marriage."

Naomi's eyes widened.

"What on Earth could possibly be better than marriage?" Naomi asked, flabbergasted.

Bulma contemplated her words for a while and laughed.

"That's just it… It's not something on Earth… or I should say not from Earth." She smiled looking at her.

Naomi was extremely puzzled.

"Bulma… are you going crazy?" She asked.

"Far from it." Bulma answered after laughing a little bit.

"Well… what is it?" She asked.

"I can't say… sorry." Bulma said, "But soon you'll know, I promise… Soon all my friends will know."

"Wow… must be something really special." Naomi said.

"Special doesn't even begin to describe it." She said.

"Bulma… all you're doing is arousing my curiosity more and more." Naomi groused.

"Sorry, let's not talk about it then." Bulma said, laughing slightly, before remembered something. "By the way, from what you've told me, your bosses sound like dicks for constantly pressuring you to work more hours."

"Tell me about it." Said Naomi, rolling her eyes, largely forgetting what had lifted Bulma's spirits so high.

"Well, you sound like you have a lot of skill." Bulma said, "From just hearing you, you seem over-qualified for a job like that."

Naomi laughed a little.

"Yeah, I've been told that quite often, but not since I settled here." She replied, "What else can I do though?"

"Well, I'm sure Capsule Corporation could use someone skilled like yourself." Bulma said.

"Oh no, Bulma…" Naomi said, "I couldn't… I just could-"

"Look, you helped me from practically having had to walk home all alone in the dark for God-knows how many hours." Bulma said, "But that's not even why I want this for you. It's just that… you deserve a lot better and so does your family."

Naomi contemplated her words for a moment.

"Jasmine, why don't you watch a film?" Naomi asked, "Jethro, Hunter - why don't you practice outside for a while? I'm sure Yamcha wouldn't want you slacking off."

They all agreed and went off to do their own thing. Bulma looked at her curiously after Yamcha was mentioned.

"Yamcha?" She asked.

"Yeah… He trains them and looks after them sometimes." She answered and then continued, "Don't worry… nothing's going on between us."

"No, it's fine Naomi." She said, "If that were the case, the only thing I'd worry about is him cheating on you again."

"Look Bulma," Naomi explained, "After you left that night at the restaurant, Yamcha asked me if we could still be friends, for the kids' sake… So I agreed. I just want what's best for them. I know neither of us can forgive him for what he did, but he is still a nice guy and he does care about them… Plus, they see him as a sort of father figure. I think they need someone like that in their lives."

Bulma thought for a while and then sighed.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Bulma agreed, "I guess I was so caught up in what he did the last time that I totally forgot about his good side."

"Anyway Bulma," Naomi began, grabbing her shoulder, "Yamcha helps me look after the kids, so things are much easier. Seriously, I'm fine. You don't have to go out of your way."

"I'm not." Bulma said, "I am the vice president after all, it's nothing for me, plus like I said, someone with your skill shouldn't have to deal with such pressure, even if Yamcha's helping you out. Just come see me at Capsule Corporation someday and I'll set up a meeting with you and some guys in the finance department… The hours are a lot more flexible and the pay is a lot greater."

Naomi mused for a moment, then sighed.

"Okay Bulma." She smiled up at her, "I guess I'll take you up on your offer."

"Perfect!" Beamed Bulma. The day was going well so far. After a while, a thought hit her. She'd noticed Naomi's face lighten up whenever Yamcha was mentioned "By the way, Naomi… I was wondering. How do you feel about Yamcha?"

Naomi looked at her.

"Well… I just see him as a friend…" She answered, "A good friend I'll admit, but I can't see him as anything more than that… Not after what he did."

"I don't know…" Bulma said, "It's just that he never did that before in his life. He would often behave like an idiot with some random girls here and there, but I know for sure that he never did… that… until just recently."

Naomi looked at her, pausing for a while.

"How can you be sure?" She asked.

"I just know." She said, "I felt he was… relatively… sincere all that time. We had dated for about fifteen years."

"Really?" Replied Naomi. She knew it was long, but not that long. Weird…

"Yeah, but we're completely over now… For good." Said Bulma matter-of-factly. "I just know that he wasn't the right one for me… Even if he hadn't done what he did, I would've broken it off eventually, I'm sure of it."

"How come?" Asked a curious Naomi.

"It took me a long while to acknowledge that he's not my type… at all." Bulma said, "I kind of knew that all along but never wanted to admit it… I just needed something to keep me from being lonely and he was it, but I feel that I don't need him any longer."

"You found someone else, right?" Asked Naomi.

Bulma looked at her and nodded.

"Bulma… I don't know if…" Naomi began and then sighed, before continuing, "I don't know if this sounds right. I mean, right after Yamcha? The timing couldn't be more off. Don't you think you're doing the same thing all over again? Just finding something to fill that void inside of you without properly looking?"

Bulma shook her head.

"Believe me Naomi." She began, "He's the one. Yamcha's the only one I dated all my life. We had a kind of intermittent relationship and we were relatively faithful to one another minus some flirting with outsiders on both our parts… But we still never really bothered looking for anyone else… till he did just recently that is. We just wanted each other. We knew one another for the longest time and no one else could give us what we gave each other… But this time it was a lot different. I found someone who could give me something Yamcha never could… And when I'm with him, I feel happier than I had ever felt my entire life."

"Who is he?" Asked Naomi, surprised by what she was being told.

"You'll find out soon enough… I just can't say anything about him yet." Bulma said. "But that's not the point. Point is that after taking a while to consider everything you told me, I don't think Yamcha is as bad as I thought."

"What do you mean?" Asked Naomi, as puzzled as ever.

"You see… if he broke up with me first and then dated you," She began, "It wouldn't have hurt nearly as much. But he's always had a hard time doing that… A part of me feels that he truly cares for you, especially since he knew about your situation. That's why he couldn't say no when you asked him out. Despite his flaws, he is gentle and caring. I learned that about him over the years."

"What are you getting at, Bulma?" Asked Naomi.

Bulma sighed. Was she really going to suggest it?

"I think you should forgive him Naomi." Bulma said, "What I said earlier was probably wrong as well… I don't think he'd cheat on you if you chose to be in a relationship with him… He never did with me, except right at the end. He made a horrible mistake, but… I think you should give him a chance."

"Bulma… are you serious?" Naomi asked, completely baffled, "You of all people? I would never have thought you would defend him, let alone suggest that I-"

"I didn't mean to defend his actions, Naomi." Bulma interrupted, "There's still no excuse for what he did. But after thinking about it with a clearer mind and considering everything you told me, I just realize that there's more to the story… If he was willing to betray me and have an affair behind my back, there would've had to be a darn good reason for him to do it… I think he genuinely cares about you is all… That's why he went out of his way to make things right with you, on some level."

Naomi contemplated her words for a moment.

"I don't know Bulma." She said, "I must admit that I'm glad to hear that from you, in all honesty, but I just can't get involved with him after what he did… at least… not yet."

"I understand." Bulma said, smiling and put her hand on Naomi's shoulder, "Take your time… but just consider what I said, okay?"

Naomi smiled back at her and nodded.

"By the way… please don't tell Yamcha about anything we spoke about today, alright?" She pleaded, "Especially not the fact that I found someone else… I don't want him to know just yet."

"Sure thing, Bulma." Naomi answered.

The two continued talking and a little while later, Naomi ordered her two brothers back inside and told them as well as her sister to focus on their homework. They preferred finishing it early anyway so they could have a relatively open weekend, thus it was no problem for them.

Meanwhile, Bulma and Naomi continued talking out the rest of the day, until it was about 8:30 pm. Bulma decided to call it a night. After saying goodbye to her and the kids, she left the place. Both were much happier after spending their day together.

Bulma returned to Capsule Corporation. She entered the house, greeting her mother in the kitchen and was about to head upstairs to her room when she somehow felt a familiar presence in the backyard and gasped.

"Vegeta?" She voiced her thoughts softly.

She dashed towards the backyard, taking her high heels off and putting on the nearest pair of slippers she found, which happened to match the green color of her dress. Her mother, absorbed in her housework, was much too busy to take notice.

She went looking around the backyard for her lover, looking everywhere thoroughly and for a good amount of time, but hadn't found him. She sighed dejectedly. She wouldn't have minded so much if she hadn't felt him, but getting her hopes up like that and having them dashed did her no good. She really wanted to see him, so badly.

She was near a tree, holding onto its trunk with one hand and staring aimlessly ahead of her, a despondent look on her face, when all of a sudden she heard a voice directly behind her.

"Hello Princess." Said the voice.

She gasped and turned around, finding Vegeta hanging upside down on a tree branch, smirking. He was hanging off his tail and wearing a pair of black Kung-Fu pants and black shoes (with white socks on), given to him by the good master, after he had cleansed himself a few days ago (remember, his track-pants had gotten quite dirty after his battle with Goku). He was still shirtless. Since he hadn't done anything except mind training and had remained indoors during his stay with Master Shing, he did not need to bathe again.

A broad smile etched on Bulma's face as she saw him, not having noticed his attire or the fact that his tail had regrown. Tears glistened her eyes and were threatening to spill. Vegeta was about to snarl at her for this, but she put her hands on either side of his head and captured his lips in a deep kiss, as he was still upside-down, hanging on the tree. Vegeta kissed back and began stroking the free strands of hair on the right side of her face, with his right hand. They continued kissing and sucking each other's lips for the longest while. No words needed to be said for that moment. It felt so amazing for the both of them to see each other and to taste each other again, under the night sky surrounded by exuberant fields of grass, Dr. Brief's sleeping pets and Mrs. Brief's beautiful plants in addition to the stars sparkling above them and the crescent moon shining its ethereal blue light down upon them (A/N: Inspired by the following fan-art: art/Kiss-From-A-Rose-301862510).

After what felt like an eternity, they finally broke apart. Vegeta continued stroking Bulma's hair and she stroked his too.

"Woman… Are you wearing… lipstick?" Vegeta asked apprehensively, ceasing to caress her hair. He knew he was not going to like the answer.

Bulma laughed sheepishly, removing her hands from Vegeta's head.

Vegeta groused and fell from the tree onto his feet at amazing speed, before making his way to the pool nearby to wash the lipstick marks off. He bent down and began wiping away the lipstick with water from the pool. Luckily for him, the moonlight allowed him to see his reflection through the water. As he was cleaning himself up, he saw the blue-haired woman's reflection as she approached, bent down and grabbing him underneath the arms from behind and placed her face next to his and caressed his bare chest and abdomen with her soft delicate hands, causing his pectoral muscles and abs to dance in delight.

"I missed you so much Vegeta." She murmured softly into his ear.

Vegeta smirked. He missed her too. He loved her soft voice, her sweet scent and her pleasant breath. He was elated. She was about to be his mate. In a swift move, he jumped into the pool with her still clinging on to him, the thrill completely over-taking him.

Bulma suddenly found herself inside a large body of freezing water and began panicking. She moved her head above the surface as quickly as possible to catch her breath, only to find Vegeta already there, smirking at her.

"V-V-Vegeta!" She tried yelling but couldn't. She clasped her shoulders, trembling, which she was able to do, since this section of the pool was shallow enough. Her tone suddenly changed into one of urgency, as she began shivering, "I-I-I'm f-f-f-freezing."

Vegeta's smirk faded into a more concerned and rueful expression. What had he done? He wasn't thinking at all. He acted recklessly in the moment without considering the consequences. She wasn't accustomed to such extreme temperatures. Her fragile body couldn't handle it.

He quickly grabbed her and launched out of the pool back onto the grass, embracing her afterwards and flaring his Ki slightly to sooth her.

She soon found the cold leaving her and began warming up from the inside. She felt such an unusual comfort from his embrace and a unique warmth that was echoing through every part of her. Her anger had all but dissipated as she felt his level of care and concern. She smiled, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged back.

Vegeta smiled, knowing she couldn't see – once again a real genuine smile, which he only offered her once before – when they slept on the same bed in her room the night before he left. They continued holding onto each other for a short while.

"I missed you too… Princess." He murmured into her ear.

Bulma's heart fluttered and her smiled broadened, as she tightened her hold on him. His soft alluring tone had captured her so deeply.

"I love you…" She mumbled.

Vegeta tingled at her words and soft voice. He tightened his hold on her too. Moments passed, both of them loving the feel of each other that they hadn't experienced for much too long, before Vegeta finally remembered.

"What say we clean each other up?" Vegeta asked, smirking.

"Works for me." Bulma smirked back.

Vegeta startled her as he flew her up slowly to her balcony. He was holding her in a sort of cradling position, one hand on her back and the other behind her knees. She kept her arms around him and nuzzled into his neck, while keeping a firm hold on him. As they landed on the balcony, he gently put her to her feet. She was amazed at the extent of warmth she was feeling. There was barely a trace of water on her anymore.

Bulma smiled warmly at him, knowing that he only meant to tease her earlier.

Vegeta traced her hair with his hand slightly and gently kissed her lips before heading to the shower, while she was hot on his heels.

"Pick out some clean clothes first woman…" Vegeta said. "Make sure they're good."

"Oh… Sure." Bulma said after a while, having remembered what would happen this day.

She picked out a shiny topaz-colored knee-length satin dress, which was relatively loose and a pair of silver snake rose open toe platform sandal heels (A/N: Totally copied and pasted that – like I said, I don't know much about fashion). She then untied the bow on her hair, straightening it out, before following Vegeta, who'd already left for the shower, after taking off his shoes and socks and throwing his pants and underwear into her hamper, after of course putting the capsules onto a side table, all while Bulma was undoing her rope braid, removing her dirty clothes and throwing them into the hamper and locking her bedroom door, to make sure there would be no interferences this time around. While her parents did know that she was in a relationship with Vegeta, they didn't know anything about her plans to be bonded with him and didn't even know that he had returned, for that matter. For now, she wanted to keep it that way. She was still too enthralled by Vegeta's return too notice his new appendage.

She entered her shower, with Vegeta waiting on her. The moment she entered, the two lovers began appraising one another up and down, before Bulma finally noticed his tail. She gasped when she saw it.

"Y-Y-You're t-t-tail?" She asked.

Vegeta smirked at her and snickered a little. He moved his tail to her face and began swishing it back and forth slowly in front of her eyes. She was speechless and stiff as ice but after a while she gently grabbed it with her hand. She was absolutely astonished by how soft and silky its texture was, like the fur of a pup – not exactly what she had imagined considering to whom it belonged. Then again, nearly everything about Vegeta surprised her and he was a mystery she had loved unraveling. The feel of his tail was so amazing. Vegeta purred when she began stroking it. She looked up at him as she stroked once more, noticing the reaction it caused in him. This made her giggle a little.

"W-Woman, d-d-do not… do that." He said, looking uncomfortable.

Bulma ceased her ministrations.

"How come?"

Vegeta blushed and looked at the ground.

"I just… I just find it… extremely… arousing." He confessed.

Bulma thought about his words for a moment and saw his member, hardened more than ever before… This really tempted her to fondle it… She released his tail and began gently caressing his erected shaft with her right hand… Vegeta froze at the move…

"Woman!" He protested, "No!"

Despite what he said, her soft gentle touch on that particular area barely allowed him to move, let alone force her to cease her ministrations.

"Come on 'Geta…" She said, "What's wrong?"

"In case you've forgotten," He began answering, "We still have to bond first."

Bulma ceased her antics, after remembering.

"You're right Vegeta. I totally forgot." She said, before an important question hit her a short while later, "By the way, how did your tail grow back?"

Vegeta looked at her stoically.

"I'll tell you about it after we finish showering." He answered.

"Why not now?" She asked.

"I just want peace and quiet for the moment…" He replied, before finishing his sentence. "With you."

Bulma was surprised at such an answer. This wasn't the same Vegeta that had left her that Wednesday morning. Something had definitely changed within him and her heart told her that it was definitely a change for the better.

She smiled at him warmly and embraced him with her naked body. Vegeta embraced back and wrapped his tail around her thigh, both loving the feel of one-another. After a moment they broke apart.

And so, she and Vegeta showered together, cleaning each other up, similar to the way they had before, making sure it was all done quickly and concisely, trying not to feel each other up too much, though that wasn't too easy and at times they could slip a little. As she was cleaning Vegeta, Bulma reached his tail and looked at him. He turned to her and shook his head and so she allowed him to clean it herself after she finished.

After drying themselves up, using only her baby blue towel, which Vegeta didn't seem too keen on initially, she exited the bathroom and suddenly remembered.

"Wait, Vegeta, you don't… have any… clothes." She said, apprehensively. Although she couldn't deny that she really admired the view, he couldn't walk around with no clothes on.

Vegeta went and picked up the capsule containing all the items Master Shing had given him. He pressed the button and tossed it into an empty area nearby, causing a box to materialize. He pulled out a pair of neatly folded black Kung-Fu pants and was about to put them on, when he suddenly remembered he had no underwear. Bulma noticed his predicament and laughed a little.

"Hey don't worry," She said, "I just remembered… I thought this might happen so I took some of your clothes, socks and underwear and put them in my cupboard and vice-versa."

Vegeta sighed in relief. He grabbed a pair of black underwear and put them on. He then proceeded to put on the Kung-Fu pants he pulled out earlier, followed by a pair of white socks from the cupboard and a pair of black Kung-Fu shoes.

He then pulled out a neatly folded sapphire blue Kung-Fu Shirt with two silver dragons designed on either side of the front and of course the character for dragon embedded on the back. He put it on and turned around to see Bulma in front of the dressing table, blow-drying her hair and styling it the way it was before (i.e. rope-braid on the back, bangs on the front and two long strands on either side). She already had her short dress and heels on. She put on a pair of sapphire diamond earrings encrusted with white gold and some sapphire blue nail polish on her finger nails and toe nails, giving them a moment to dry.

Vegeta decided not to bother her, instead sitting on a nearby chair and focusing on his mind training, while she was fixing herself up. After she finally finished, it was about 9:40 pm. She turned around and saw Vegeta sitting on the chair with his hands on his lap and his eyes closed. She gasped. He looked amazing with those clothes on. She would never have imagined him wearing something like that… She always used to love it when Yamcha dressed in his Kung Fu uniforms, but Vegeta looked like he was in a whole different league altogether.

"Vegeta, who gave you those?" She asked, awestruck.

Vegeta was brought out of his trance.

"It was an old warrior I had lived with, while I was away – after my battle with Kakarot, that is." He replied.

Bulma suddenly remembered.

"Oh yeah, I remember reading about that on the newspaper." She said.

"You what?!" Asked Vegeta, stunned.

"You… didn't know?"

Vegeta frowned.

"Yeah, there was an article…" Bulma explained, "About some mystery fighter that knocked out a multitude of opponents in an instant and so earned the right to train with… some master… I can't remember his name… And it had your picture on it, standing over all those guys you beat."

Vegeta grimaced. He couldn't believe it. This is not what he expected. He didn't want any form of publicity.

Bulma walked over to him, bent down on her knees and put her right hand on his right leg. Luckily the floorboard around that area was totally clean.

"Hey it's alright." She said, "No one knows your name or where you live or anything."

Vegeta looked at her and contemplated her words, before sighing in relief.

"His name is Master Zhao Shing," He said, "He gave me these garments…"

"Oh."

"He helped me… attain a greater mental grasp." He said, "Physically, I'm far above him so there was no helping me there… but he knew a special form of mind-training, which helped me regain my composure…"

"Regain?" She asked.

"My thoughts were… clouded." He explained, "I couldn't really… see straight."

"It was because of me… right?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta looked at her and nodded slowly.

She smiled up warmly at him.

"How did you… manage?" Vegeta asked.

Bulma sighed, before speaking.

"I didn't… in the beginning." She answered and then smiled, "But afterwards I told myself that I shouldn't be brooding… Instead I chose to revel in the fact that soon I would be with you… for good…"

Vegeta wrapped his tail around her wrist. She was about to move her hand to stroke it, when he gave her a look that said not to, thus stopping her in her tracks.

"About my tail, by the way…" Vegeta began and Bulma looked up at him. He then explained to her how the meditation technique allowed Vegeta to focus deeply and dig into some deep well of primal power inside him and how that must have caused his tail to grow back.

Bulma nodded in understanding, after he finished explaining.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Bonding

After a while Bulma spoke again.

"So, anyway…" Bulma began, "Shall we?"

Vegeta looked hesitant and she noticed this.

"Hey…" She looked at him concernedly, thinking that he may have had second thoughts, "What's the problem?"

Vegeta sighed, before answering.

"For the bond to be complete…" He began and then paused for a while, "Another Saiyan is needed."

Bulma contemplated his words for a moment and gasped in realization of what he was saying, her eyes widening. Soon afterwards she smiled.

"I'll call Goku right away." She said, elated. So that's what it was… He wasn't hesitant at all. She was actually surprised that he was willing to call Goku. Excitement took over every inch of her being in anticipation of what would take place in this bonding ritual.

She got off of Vegeta and grabbed her cell-phone on a desk nearby, ready to call the Son residence. Vegeta was looking flustered the whole time… but he would preserve his Saiyan tradition, plus his rival was already aware of the attachment between the two of them, so it couldn't be all that bad, could it? Furthermore, he had grown to gain Kakarot's trust over these past few days and knew that the younger Saiyan was a man of honor… in fact he even have thought of him as a friend, as much as the idea sickened him. He knew his rival would keep his word and not tell anyone. Then he remembered something else.

"Wait!" Vegeta exclaimed, getting up off his chair.

Bulma looked at him.

"What is it?" She asked.

"We cannot do this here."

"Uh… okay… then where?"

Vegeta had thought about it during the three days he was away from her. During that time, he figured that the best place for them to bond would be where they had landed when being wished back to Earth from Namek… It was where she had first invited him to live in her home. Now that he remembered back to it she told him that if he were to live in the compound he was forbidden from trifling with her, 'irresistible' as she was, in her words (A/N: That is what she said in the original manga and Jap dub… I prefer that version to the 'kinda cute' version in the FUNimation dub). It's funny how things turned out. He smirked, remembering that. Even back then, she hadn't shown any fear of him. Her generosity knew no limits. She knew who he was and what he had done. Her now ex-partner was still dead at that point and he was the one responsible for it, yet she had still smiled at him as if he were a close friend of hers.

Bulma noticed his smirk and could see that he was reminiscing about something.

"What is it 'Geta?" She asked, smiling.

"Where we first landed, when we were wished back on Earth from Namek – that will be the place." He said, taking on a more stoic expression.

Bulma placed a fisted hand on her fluttering heart. Who knew he could conjure up such a romantic thought – it was where the two had spoken with each other for the first time since their encounter on Namek only involved him threatening her life and her trembling in fear. It was where she first invited him to live at Capsule Corporation. It was perfect, absolutely perfect. Bulma gleefully smiled at him. She rushed over to him and embraced him warmly.

"Yes, that's perfect Vegeta!" She exclaimed, filled with glee, "I can't wait! I can't wait!"

Vegeta was startled by her action and found his voice after a while.

"If you can't wait, then would you mind getting the hell of me?!" He groused.

Bulma pulled back and kissed him on the lips, unwrapping herself from him afterwards.

"I love you, 'Geta."

Vegeta merely smirked at her. She wasn't displeased. He already said it once and that was all she could ever ask for. She then took the time to appraise him in his new outfit.

"You know, that uniform looks amazing on you." She said, observing him.

"I prefer my Saiyan outfit." Vegeta grumbled.

"Come on… Don't be such a grouch." She said, frowning, "I like the Saiyan outfit too, but you can't wear the same thing every time. This does look very nice. I'm glad you're wearing this instead… By the way, how do I look?"

She looked amazing. Vegeta knew it. She'd never looked quite as elegant before and that was saying a lot. But he couldn't say it. Instead he grabbed her around the waist and captured her lips in another passionate kiss. She got the gesture and smiled inwardly, while putting her arms around his neck and kissing back. After a while, he pulled back and let go of her, whereby she did the same.

He then went to the box containing all the items the old master gave him and after taking out all the clothing he was given and neatly stacking them in Bulma's cupboard, save a few sets he left for insurance, he closed it. He then capsulized the box and put the capsule in his pocket.

"Vegeta…" Bulma began, "Why're you bringing that?"

"Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise." He answered, smirking at her. He then turned around. He also picked up his other capsule with all his toiletries from the table he left it on. "I think it's about time we leave… Climb on my back."

"Wait…" Bulma said, "Can you put my cell-phone in your pocket? I just don't want it to fall off, while you're flying."

"Whatever." Groused Vegeta.

She giggled. He was always like that – that aspect of him would never change, not that she minded.

After putting the cell-phone in his pocket, Bulma climbed onto him - legs straddling him from behind and arms around his neck. He placed his arms underneath her legs, maintaining a strong hold on her in a piggyback position.

He then flew off towards their destination at lightning fast speed. Bulma was screaming for her life, while he was laughing. In reality she was enjoying every moment of it, loving the feel of the wind thrashing against her, as she tightened her hold on Vegeta. Soon afterwards her screams turned to cheers and laughter. This was who Vegeta was, free and unrestricted, doing things as it pleased him.

They landed on the intended spot. Bulma got off of Vegeta. Fields of lush grass and several trees surrounded them in this beautiful and spacious Savannah. Vegeta threw the capsule containing Master Shing's gifts, opened the box that materialized, took out the thick rag that the old master had given him and capsulized it again, after closing it. He put the capsule back in his pocket and held the rag in his hand. Bulma didn't notice as she was mesmerized by the amazing scenery surrounding her.

"Wow this so… beautiful."

Vegeta frowned and went over to her, holding out the cell-phone he pulled out of his pocket.

"Woman… Kakarot?"

Bulma looked at him.

"Huh?" She asked, before remembering and subsequently grabbing the cell-phone, "Oh right…"

Bulma was beaming from the inside that her best friend would be there to witness the greatest moment of her life. She dialed the number of the Son residence and called. After a few rings, a voice was heard on the other end.

"Hello, Son residence. Chi-Chi speaking."

"Hi Chi-Chi, how are you?" Bulma's spirits were higher than ever.

"Oh hey, Bulma …" She replied, "Well, just the same really… I can't complain, I guess… By the way, that was some party on Wednesday, huh?"

"Yeah it was, Chi-Chi… I just can't wait for the next one!" Bulma beamed.

"Yes, of course, of course… By the way, how are you Bulma?" She asked.

"I'm great, Chi-Chi. I've never felt better all my life…" She said and then remembered that she didn't want to give away any secrets just yet and so didn't want Chi-Chi to question her about what heightened her mood so much, but it was too late.

"Oh… And what is it that's gotten you so ecstatic?" Chi-Chi asked curious.

Bulma froze for a second, looking at Vegeta who was scowling at her, wanting her to get it over with already.

"Well… I can't say yet… But you'll know soon, Chi-Chi."

"Oh…" replied Chi-Chi as baffled as ever, "Well, why'd you call Bulma?"

"Well… I… uh… really need to talk to Goku." She answered, apprehensive about how Chi-Chi would react.

Chi-Chi sighed dejectedly.

"I should've known…"

"Chi-Chi please. Don't be mad." Bulma pleaded, "I just really need him here for this… It's very important."

"What is?" Chi-Chi asked, once again intrigued.

Bulma paused.

"Like I said, you'll know soon enough." She answered, "I just can't say yet. Listen, could you please get Goku on the line?"

Chi-Chi could sense the desperateness in her voice and knew this really was something very important to her, so she agreed.

"Oh, fine…" Chi-Chi sighed reluctantly and called Goku.

"Hey, Bulma, what's up?" Goku greeted.

"Goku, could you please get over here now?"

"Uh… okay Bulma." Goku said, "But what's going on?"

"I can't say over the phone." She replied, "Please just come on over."

"Uh… Sure." He said.

"Chi-Chi, I'm going over to see Bulma." He told his wife, not wanting to disappear before telling her first, lest he suffer her wrath afterwards. "I-I-Is that okay?"

Chi-Chi sighed.

"Sure Goku." She agreed, then smiled warmly at him, "Just come back soon, okay? It's late."

"Sure thing, babe." He said, smiling back and then directed his words back to Bulma, "I'm coming right over Bulma."

Goku hung up the phone and used his instant transmission to appear before Bulma.

"Hey Bulma! What're you doing all the way out here?" He asked, then saw a figure nearby, "Vegeta?"

"Kakarot." The surly Prince greeted in his own way.

"Uh… Nice outfit Vegeta." Goku began, "Looks amazing on y-"

"Shut-up!" Growled Vegeta.

Bulma laughed and Vegeta groused, while Goku closed his mouth, not wanting to incur the wrath of his rival. But he still wanted to know what was happening.

"So… uh… what's going on, you guys?" He asked, curious. "I though you were… staying away from Capsule Corporation, Vegeta."

"I was…" He answered, "But not anymore… Three days are up."

"Three days? What do you mean?" Goku was at a complete loss.

"Well, Goku…" Bulma said, blushing a little and tilting her head to the ground, "Vegeta and I agreed not to see one-another for three days and now… we're uh… we're uh…"

"We're mating, Kakarot!" He interrupted, speaking quickly and impatiently.

Goku was completely appalled by what he just heard.

"B-But… Y-y-you c-can't b-be… Y-You're s-still w-wearing c-c-clothes…"

Bulma blushed a deep shade of red, while Vegeta was angered by his rival misconstruing his words, in such a disgustingly vile manner.

"Goku!" Bulma exclaimed glaring up at him, "That's not what he meant!"

"O-O-Oh…" Goku said, after a while. He was completely baffled by the whole situation.

Bulma sighed and explained.

"For Saiyans, mating is like the human equivalent of… uh…" She paused a while before she mumbled the word, looking down and dipping her toes in the grass as she did, "marriage…"

"WHAT?!" Goku exclaimed loudly. He'd never been in such a state of shock and disbelief, since Future Trunks had told him that he was Bulma and Vegeta's son, "YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?!"

"Well… The… uh… Saiyan version of it… Yeah…" Bulma replied after a short pause, still facing the ground.

Goku looked back and forth between the two in utter disbelief.

'Wow, unreal.' Goku thought, taking great care to keep his mental walls erected. 'It's totally different in this timeline. Trunks told me that the only thing they had going on was a passion thing. Their relationship here seems far more committed than just that.'

After a while, he spoke.

"Wow, you two!" He exclaimed smiling, "This is amazing. I can't believe-"

"Enough idle talk!" Vegeta exclaimed, interrupting him. "Let's get this over with, Kakarot!"

Goku looked at him for a moment, confused.

"Wait… So why wait three days?"

"That's just part of the ritual before the bonding, Goku." Bulma said.

Goku contemplated for a while, before speaking.

"Uh… Okay…" He began talking, "Anyway… so I was wondering… Why exactly am-"

"Another Saiyan is needed for the bonding…" Vegeta explained quickly, grumbling.

"Hey, Vegeta, could you put this back in your pocket?" Asked Bulma, holding out her cell-phone to him.

Vegeta took it from her and put it inside.

Goku paused, before speaking.

"W-W-Well… So… uh… what am I supposed to do…Vegeta?" He asked.

Vegeta walked over, standing next to Bulma. He handed Goku the thick rag he was holding.

Goku took it and looked back it him, confusedly. Vegeta stuck his right forearm out to him, pulling the sleeve of shirt up. He ran his finger horizontally across a specific spot, several inches above his wrist line.

"Make an incision across here…" He commanded, "About two inches breadthwise and a quarter of an inch deep."

"Uh… How come?" He asked, after a short pause.

"JUST DO IT!" An impatient Vegeta shouted, causing both Goku and Bulma to jump on the spot.

"Okay, okay…" Goku surrendered, "Just relax."

The younger Saiyan formed a Ki blade and cut the appropriate area on Vegeta's forearm as requested. Vegeta remained stoic, not feeling one bit of pain as his rival made the incision. It seems all the battles he'd been in and all the tortures Frieza had put him through had really paid off.

Bulma looked on in horror and couldn't move from her spot. After Goku was finished she managed to find her words.

"V-V-Vegeta, d-do I r-really h-have-" She was about to ask, but was interrupted.

"Relax… you'll be fine woman…" He reassured her, tilting his face in her direction, having a reassuring expression. "Make it half as deep on her Kakarot."

That was all she needed to hear. She trusted Vegeta wholeheartedly, but couldn't deny that she wasn't anxious about being cut in such a way.

She nodded to him slowly and then stuck her right arm towards Goku, as Vegeta had.

Goku looked at her, concernedly.

"A-Are y-you sure B-Bulma?" He asked.

Bulma regained her composure, furrowed her brows and nodded confidently. She would do whatever she had to be with her soon-to-be Prince.

Goku formed a Ki blade and began making the incision. She whimpered, but held her arm perfectly still, using all her will power. Goku noticed her arm trembling. He stopped and looked up at her. Her eyes were glistening. It hurt, but she had to hold herself together, for Vegeta's sake.

"It's okay Goku," She said smiling warmly, eyes still glistening, "Go on…"

Goku completed the cut.

Vegeta took her right arm and placed it atop his so their incisions were touching. Bulma held his hardened forearm in a tight grip and he grabbed hers firmly, in response. He wrapped his tail around her thigh underneath her dress. The two lovers were looking at one-another, Bulma's eyes still glistening and concern he was unable to suppress, was inscribed in Vegeta onyx orbs, behind that impassive expression.

"Vegeta… Your tail." Goku noticed, "How-"

"Later Kakarot…" Vegeta said and then continued, "Tie that around the area firmly, Kakarot…" Vegeta ordered, looking at the rag he handed his rival, his tone surprisingly gentle. Seeing Bulma whimpering and maintaining her composure all for his sake as well as her innocent delicate expression and hurt, softened his heart. She would go to any lengths for him. "After you finish, hold it tight with both hands…"

Goku looked at the rag in his right hand.

"Oh… Right…"

He folded the rag, before wrapping it around the adjoining forearms of Bulma and Vegeta, tightly and firmly holding a grip on it, one hand on top of Vegeta's forearm and the other below Bulma's, pressing firmly on the appropriate spot, causing Vegeta's incision to press deeper against Bulma's. Goku never imagined having to be in such a position and being here to witness this moment was unusually pleasant for him.

Their bloods were mixing together. Soon the bond would be complete and they would be one with each other.

Vegeta sighed deeply and closed his eyes, as he felt her blood mix with his. He felt as though she were purifying him from the inside out, cleansing and healing all the damage he had suffered his entire life, making him new and making him whole.

Simultaneously, Bulma felt his blood flowing through hers, strengthening her and protecting her from any harm that may come her way: the blood of a proud Saiyan Prince mingling with hers. She too sighed in contentment and could feel them being drawn closer together with each passing moment. Her trembling soon ceased.

Goku looked on and noticed the tranquility in their expressions. He saw at that moment that this was not some short-lived passion… this was pure love. The proof was right in front of his eyes and it filled him with joy. He had never seen either of them at such peace. He smiled warmly at the two of them, though their eyes were closed and they were facing each other.

Seconds turned into minutes and their forearms were still conjoined, with Goku holding them together firmly. Just over seven minutes, since Goku had tied them, they both opened their eyes simultaneously as if they'd just been awakened from a trance. The felt it now, they were bonded, in every sense of the word.

They were staring at each other. Bulma smiled at him warmly and he looked at her stoically for a second, before smiling back – a real genuine smile, once again and this time she could see it right in front of her eyes. Seeing that kind, gentle and caring expression of contentment in his smile and the unusual comfort and serenity in those obsidian orbs of his, enthralled her more than ever before.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: No ill-will

Goku's smile widened upon seeing that smile of contentment on Bulma's face. Never had he seen her so content and looking so beautiful. But it was Vegeta's smile that drew him the most. He would never have expected to see such radiance and kindness on the face of the arrogant Saiyan Prince. Vegeta was blind to the third party however. Bulma was all he could see as if the two of them only had each other and were surrounded by void. After a few moments he collected his wits and his expression returned to one of stoicism.

Bulma wasn't too disappointed and maintained her smile. Seeing it for those few moments was enough for her. She saw a changed man, revolutionized in every sense of the word, though he still kept his guard up around others. But she saw who he really was. Maybe Goku did too, but he'd never tell anyone, so it was okay.

"Kakarot… it's done." He said, still looking at Bulma, his tone firm, but still containing a hint of gentleness, which he couldn't suppress and which didn't go unnoticed by either Goku or Bulma. "You can let go now… and take that thing off…"

Goku gave a puzzled look and then smiled when he realized it was over.

"Oh… right…"

Goku was slightly apprehensive, expecting copious amounts of blood to spill the moment he released his hold on them. But, he went ahead with it anyway. What he saw surprised him. The moment he let go and unwrapped the rag from the their adjoined forearms, he saw only dried blood - no fresh blood present.

"Hey… uh… can I… uh… see your arms?" Goku asked, perplexed.

They both turned to face him at the same time, smirking knowingly. The pair felt it. Since the bond was initiated, not a drop of blood was wasted, instead intermingling and making its way inside the incised wounds of the two. As their blood blended together, their wounds began closing up, as if they were both healing each other. That was the extent of power that their bond had. When finally complete, the wounds were fully healed (A/N: Don't get the wrong idea. Blood mixing does not at all alter one's genetic make-up at all. They are still exactly the same as before, but are drawn closer together mentally and spiritually).

They showed Goku their arms at the same time and all Goku saw were incision marks where he once cut them, surrounded by dried blood. He was completely astonished.

"H-H-How?" He asked simply, unable to say anymore.

"When two people bond, they heal one-another." Vegeta answered, before continuing "And by the end of it, the bleeding is largely reduced and the wound heals to a certain degree."

"I see…" Goku said after a while and then observed, "But with you two, there's… no bleeding at all and the wound's completely closed… Has that ever happened before?"

Vegeta shook his head. Bulma turned towards him.

"Really?" She asked, "Well… what does that mean?"

"The more two mates heal one-another, the stronger the bond." Vegeta said, turning towards her, before pausing for a while and then continuing, "… But to be healed completely… That hasn't happened before… Not that I'm aware of."

"That means our bond…" Bulma began, "Is as strong as it gets… Is that what you're saying?"

Vegeta nodded his head and Bulma smiled warmly at him.

Goku looked at him, astounded.

"Wow, Vegeta." Goku said, "That's amazing… Maybe I should try that with Chi-Chi."

"It wouldn't work." Answered Vegeta, "The two of you are already bonded. This process only works when two people are not yet bonded."

"Yeah, but, we didn't…" Goku began, "We didn't bond… the way you two did."

"But you still bonded one way or another." He replied, "And you have a child."

"Oh… bummer." Goku said, after contemplating his rival's words, "I was really looking forward to trying that…"

"I wouldn't be." Said Vegeta.

"What's that's supposed to mean?" Asked Goku.

"I'd rather not lose my hearing…" He answered simply.

Bulma laughed a little, after understanding what he meant.

"I take it, you've heard Chi-Chi yell." Bulma said, smirking.

"Yes… Right in front of my damn face, mind you." Vegeta grumbled…

Goku laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Well… what now you two?" He asked.

"That is our own business." Answered Vegeta, stoically.

Goku took a few seconds, before understanding what he meant.

"Oh… I see." He began, smiling embarrassedly before changing his expression to one of joy, "… I'm so happy for both of you… really. I never expected this… I wish you the best."

"Kakarot… Do not tell anyone." Demanded Vegeta.

"I won't…" He agreed, "Whenever you're both good and ready, you can do that yourselves."

"Thanks Goku." Bulma said, smiling, "You're a great friend… Thanks a lot."

"It's nothing Bulma." Goku replied, "I'm just really glad I was here… By the way, Vegeta, I was wondering about those clothes… and your tail…"

Vegeta scowled, but if he explained now he wouldn't have to in the future, so he did, but avoided telling him about the primal energy he felt within him. He'd rather let his rival discover that for himself, when they sparred again. Afterwards, Goku spoke.

"Oh, so that's why you have the 'Dragon' symbol on the back." He said.

Vegeta nodded.

"Pretty wild." Goku said, "I'll have to ask Master Roshi about that sometime… He may know something about it."

Vegeta scowled again, not wanting to think about the old lecher.

"Vegeta… It's all right. He won't do anything…" Bulma said and giggled, "You already scared the crap out of him… Besides, there's more to him than just a dirty old man… He is one of my oldest friends."

"Yeah, Vegeta." Said Goku, "He's a great martial-arts instructor and he's pretty strong himself… I bet even you could learn a thing or two from him."

"No thanks Kakarot…" Vegeta grumbled. Then he wondered how Bulma knew about the whole incident with Roshi. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Wait… how did you know about me threatening the old… man?"

"Huh?" Bulma said, then answered, "Oh… Krillin told me."

"Do they know… about us?" He asked apprehensively.

"No… but…" She said slowly, bowing her head towards the ground, "They know that I… love you."

Vegeta heart pounded in his chest when he heard that.

"How?" He asked.

"Well… they could tell." She answered, "From the way I was acting… when they told me how you defended me and praised me in front of Yamcha… They just kind of… figured it out."

Vegeta grimaced. He was angrier with himself than her. He put himself in that position. After a while, he asked another question.

"Does Scar-Face know about how you… feel?" He asked, hating to have to use that last word. Sentimentality just wasn't his thing.

Bulma shook her head.

"Hey, don't worry Vegeta." Goku said, "They won't tell anyone. Bulma told them not to and they agreed."

Vegeta couldn't say he was happy about this, but… at least they didn't know everything. Not yet, anyway. Kakarot was the only one who knew.

"So… what do they think… about it?" Vegeta asked.

"Well… you see…" Bulma began, "Everyone was totally taken by surprise by how I felt… Gohan and Chi-Chi accepted it from the get-go. Gohan really respects you. When the others criticized you, he defended you… And Chi-Chi … strongly believed that… we'd be great… together."

Vegeta was stunned when he heard that. The demi-Saiyan brat defended him. Why? Then when he about it, he did save the boy's life several times. What about the harpy, though? He thought she hated him from the way she continuously shouted. He was repulsed by the whole idea of those two taking a liking to him. This only made his… association… with Kakarot, that much greater.

"Why would they?" He asked.

Bulma explained how Gohan knew his life-story and had grown to admire him and how Chi-Chi had also respected him, after he'd had breakfast with them and shown proper courtesy… at least towards the end.

"I see…" He said. He then considered whether or not the others would alienate themselves from her, because of him. He wouldn't want to be the cause of that, but then they didn't deserve to have her as a friend if they would abandon her for such a stupid reason, "Do the others… have a problem with you?"

Bulma sensed his concern and put a hand on his forearm, smiling warmly at him.

"No… Vegeta… They're not like that…" She said, before narrowing her eyes at him, "Besides… If it came to that, I'd choose you over them any day, without giving it a second thought and without any regrets."

Vegeta smiled at her for a fleeting moment. She saw it again - his smile. It was beautiful. She'd never seen anything so beautiful all her life, even though it was for but a moment. She smiled back warmly at him.

"Well, anyway…" Goku said, "I wish you both the best."

Bulma pulled her hand back from Vegeta.

"I will still surpass you and defeat you in battle Kakarot!" Said Vegeta after a moment, turning towards him and speaking somewhat harshly, before looking at the ground, sighing and softening his tone, "… However, I no longer bear you any ill-will… nor do I wish you harm."

Bulma goggled at him, completely stunned at his words. Then she remembered that Goku considered him a friend and most likely a close friend, at that. Was he right when he said that Vegeta might have felt the same way towards him? She smiled at Vegeta.

"I know… Vegeta." Said Goku. He then smiled warmly looking back and forth between them once, "Goodbye… and good luck… my friends."

He then put his conjoined index and middle finger to his forehead and disappeared back to Mount Paozu using instant transmission. There, he told Chi-Chi that Bulma really needed his help but couldn't tell her with what. He assured her that soon Bulma would tell her on her own accord and after a while, Chi-Chi finally gave in.

Vegeta wanted to be mad at his rival for having the nerve to call him his 'friend'. But he wasn't, not at all. He couldn't deny it now. Kakarot was his friend… Other than his woman, he was the closest person to him and that meant he would do whatever he could to protect him as well. He wouldn't let him die of some stupid heart disease, nor would he allow the androids to kill him. He would destroy the androids, defeat Kakarot himself and in doing so, prove that he is indeed the most powerful being in the Universe. But he would still live on Earth with his woman and continue defending it. This was his home now and this was his life. Conquering the Universe and imposing his dominion on others meant absolutely nothing to him.


	35. Chapter 35

**Warning: A LOT OF LEMONY ZEST**

Chapter 35: Breaking the ice

After Goku vanished, Vegeta turned towards Bulma after having mused for a while.

"I believe there's a lake around here." He said.

"Yeah, it's uh… right over there." She said, pointing in a specific direction. "Why?"

"We should get this dried blood cleaned up." He said.

They walked over to the lake and it didn't take long for them to clean themselves up. While Bulma was cleaning, her phone rang, still in Vegeta's pocket. Vegeta pulled it out and gave it to her, completely irritated.

Bulma grabbed it with her right hand and saw that it was her parents calling.

"I-I-t's from h-h-home." She told Vegeta.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at her.

"No matter what happens…" He ordered, "Do not tell them what's going on!"

Bulma nodded her head and answered.

"Hello?"

"Bulma dear, where are you?" Mrs. Brief asked, "I looked all over the house and couldn't find you… It's late, honey."

"Don't worry about me mom." She said, "I'm… uh…"

'Tell her you're spending the night out.' Vegeta spoke mentally to her.

Bulma gasped and looked at Vegeta, completely taken by surprise. What on Earth was that? Did Vegeta just speak with her telepathically?

"Your what, honey?" Mrs. Brief asked, "Is everything alright?"

Vegeta nodded his head at her, in a way that told her to proceed as planned.

She was totally at a loss, but did as he requested.

"I'm… spending the night out, mom." She answered, turning away for a moment..

"With who?" Her mother asked.

'A close friend.' Vegeta once again spoke mentally to her. His Saiyan hearing allowed him to listen in to Mrs. Brief's questions on the phone.

Bulma was once again stunned and turned back to Vegeta again. Now she was sure of it. He was speaking to her mentally.

"A close friend." She answered.

"Oh really… Who is it dear?" Mrs. Brief asked.

She turned to Vegeta who merely shook his head, as if saying not to tell her.

"I can't say right now mom… Look, I'm really busy right now." She said, "I'll be home by tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay dear. Just take care. Goodbye now." Mrs. Brief said, sighing in defeat. She supposed Bulma would be okay on her own, especially since she assured her that she'd be back soon enough. She could always ask her what happened later on, anyway.

'That sure was easy.' Bulma thought.

'Tell me about it.' Vegeta thought back and she heard.

"V-Vegeta… H-h-how did you-"

"We're mates now…" He answered, interrupting her, "We can speak to each other through mind and hear each other's thoughts."

Bulma's eyes widened.

"Wow, really?!"

Vegeta nodded.

"That's amazing!" She said, "I never would've imagined anything like this."

"Woman, clean yourself…" Vegeta calmly ordered.

"Oh… right."

'I love you… 'Geta.' She said mentally to Vegeta.

Vegeta grimaced and she giggled, knowing he had heard her. He was still irked about the nickname, though most of the time he'd let it slide.

"You can also switch the mental link off." Vegeta said. After she asked how, he explained it to her. This was a unique link that no one else could hone in on, not even Piccolo, with his superior Namekian abilities, although so far, both Goku and Vegeta were totally unaware of the fact that Piccolo had listened in on their conversations.

After a while all the dried blood was cleaned off. Vegeta walked over to a spacious field of grass, with Bulma hot on his heels.

"Woman, I think you should close that… phone of yours." He told her.

Bulma did as such.

Vegeta pulled out his capsule and threw it, opening the box that materialized and pulling out the bed quilt out first, which was neatly folded on top of the two pillows. He spread it out onto the grass spaciously and proceeded to pick up the two pillows and put them on as well.

Bulma gasped in realization of what he was doing.

"V-V-Vegeta… Out h-h-here?" She asked, apprehensively.

"Hn." He answered simply. He then sighed, before taking a deep breath and unbuttoning his shirt. He'd never done this before. This was a huge step for him. His heart was pounding against his chest like never before. He finally took his shirt off and proceeded to take off his shoes and socks. He then took off his pants and underwear, so he was wearing nothing.

As he was unbuttoning his shirt, Bulma noticed and so took off the red ribbon on her hair, which held it into its braid as well as the band at the end of the braid, thus straightening out her hair. She then took off her heels and pulled off her dress, so she was left wearing only her underwear and bra. She took them off too.

Both left their clothes where they had been removed, but Vegeta folded his ones up and neatly put them inside the box. He had told Bulma to do the same and she did. The clothes were still completely clean, so they would have something to wear afterwards.

They were alone under the night sky, naked, with lush fields of grass and trees surrounding them, a lake nearby and the gleaming light of the constellations shining on them as well as the crescent moon's ethereal light.

A gust of wind flew by and Bulma clasped her shoulders.

"I-I-It's s-so c-c-cold o-out h-h-here." She shivered. She hadn't felt the cold too much before, because she was too distracted by Goku and Vegeta both being present and while they were bonding, his touch resulted instilled a deep warmth within her.

Vegeta walked over to her and draped his arms around her waist, pulling her naked body to his, allowing a strong feeling of warmth and easiness to envelop her. She put her own arms around his neck.

After a moment, he pulled his face back and kissed her lips. She kissed back, holding his face in between her hands. He then lifted her up and gently laid her onto the bed quilt with him on top of her. She was burning with desire, like never before. It was about to happen. Vegeta kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose, before kissing her lips, as he ran his hands through her soft breasts, while she stroked his soft fiery mane of hair. He then began caressing her breasts softly and moved his head down, kissing, sucking and then licking her right breast, around the areola. The heat within Bulma was almost unbearable.

"Vegeta…" She moaned.

"Hn?" He responded looking up at her.

She smiled at him.

"It's okay…" She said, "Don't stop."

Vegeta smirked and continued his ministrations, before repeatedly placing butterfly kisses on her hardened perked-up nipple. He licked her nipple a few times and sucked on it deeply, causing her to moan, before proceeding to the left breast, doing the same thing.

She was completely lost. This was only the beginning and yet her desire had never reached such heights all her life. After Vegeta finished, he proceeded downwards, placing butterfly kisses along her slender abdomen. When he reached her nether regions he looked at her and smirked. Her head was up, observing what he was doing and loving every moment of it.

"Vegeta?" She questioned.

Vegeta continued looked at her smugly, before kissing her groin a few times, causing her desire to spiral further and further. This only excited him more. Bulma had never expected him to do something like this, at least not from the outset.

"Oh Vegeta." She moaned.

He moved towards her nether lips. His nose was touching the area and sniffing. He loved the smell of her desire.

She bent her knees and he moved downwards to her thigh and began kissing the inside of her right thigh, slowly moving upwards. Bulma loved the feel. Vegeta continued moving upwards. He then rubbed his cheek along the area he kissed. Bulma was burning with desire, feeling his cheek rubbing against her thigh.

Vegeta smirked and proceeded with her inner left thigh, doing the same thing.

After finishing, he began kissing around her nether region, but not there. She kept bucking her hips against him, in a silent plea to tell him that she wanted more.

Vegeta loved when she bucked against him, but after a little while, he finally relented and tended to her nether lips. He first ran his nose up and down several times, sniffing the place, before gently and slowly moving his lapped out tongue along the length of her core for a while.

She moaned his name several times and felt like screaming. The pressure inside her was building higher and higher, like a volcano ready to erupt. She would soon reach her climax. She held either side of Vegeta's head with her hands, as he was tending to her down below.

Vegeta smirked and began placing soft, sensual kisses on her core. Bulma could barely contain herself, as she felt his soft lips kissing her there. He soon clamped his mouth over her nether lips and began sucking and stroking his tongue around her nub. After a while Bulma could no longer contain herself. She instinctively clasped Vegeta's head with both hands and tightly wound her legs around his face and after a few moments, quickly reached the pinnacle of her desire, moaning his name as she burst her fluids into his mouth, forcing him to down it all. Bulma fell back onto the pillow, Vegeta's head still in her hands and her legs still wrapped around his face.

Soon afterwards her legs loosened and Vegeta was able to move around more freely. The smell was one thing but the taste was truly something else. He kissed and licked her nether lips a little while longer before moving up and resting the side of his face on her bosom. Bulma moved her hands back to his head and began stroking his mane with her right hand, while her left rested on his back. She was completely speechless and trying to catch her breath. Minutes passed until she had the ability to speak once again.

"Vegeta…" She began, still panting, "Where'd that… come from?"

Vegeta smirked and laughed against her breast a little, before answering.

"I'm pretty sure it came from you." He answered.

It took Bulma a few seconds to grasp what he meant. She was stunned at his choice of words.

"Why you… dirty... obnoxious… impertinent… no good rascal!" Bulma exclaimed, having to think and breathe between words.

Vegeta laughed a little more and then kissed her breast. Bulma tingled when he did that and her slight annoyance at his means of expressing his answer dissipated. After a while she finally caught her breath.

"Why'd you stop Vegeta?" She asked.

"I just wanted to give you a moment to… recuperate." He answered.

Bulma laughed a little, then spoke.

"Wow… that was amazing Vegeta." She said. "I never expected anything so good."

"You underestimated me woman." He said softly and seductively, "But the best part is yet to come."

Bulma was thrilled by his words. After another few minutes she spoke.

"Well… I think I'm ready now." She said.

"Good." Said Vegeta.

He kissed her breast a few times, before moving up to her neck and then her lips, kissing his way along. After a while he got up.

"Spread 'em." He ordered.

"Hey you don't have to say it like that!" Bulma reprimanded.

"Shut up and do as I say, woman!" Vegeta groused.

"Stupid grouch." Bulma responded and then spread her legs for him. Truth is she couldn't wait for this part, but he didn't have to voice his demand in such a reprehensible manner.

Vegeta smirked at her and put his head back down kissing her lips and then nipping and sucking her bottom lip.

'Come on… enough teasing. Quit beating around the bush!' Bulma groused mentally, since her mouth was occupied and so she couldn't speak.

Vegeta laughed mentally and she heard it, but he decided to oblige her anyway. Truth was he couldn't wait either. He inserted his hardened member inside her and began slowly moving back and forth, as his face was near hers. They were both breathing hard and occasionally kissing. Vegeta had never done this before. He wrapped his tail around her thigh. As for Bulma, although she did get intimate with Yamcha in that sense, she hadn't been into it nearly as much as she was now – she could never give him everything she had, because she hadn't felt for him what she felt for Vegeta. With Vegeta, it was perfect, as if she'd never done it before – it felt like something new. That was another reason it was so exhausting for her.

He moved a little bit faster and she was now literally burning inside. Never had she felt anything so great – never had he. The sensation Vegeta was feeling was far beyond what he'd ever expected. He continued stroking his way back and forth until he finally his seed spilled into her. Her arousal had also peaked, as she too spilled her juices once again, causing the two to intermingle (A/N: Not too much of an expert on describing sex either so please do not blame me).

They had finally done it. They kissed a few more times before Vegeta got off and moved to his own side of the bed quilt.

"Vegeta… I've never felt… so good… all my life." She said, taking heavy breaths and smiling.

"Me neither." Responded Vegeta, smirking. He wasn't quite as exhausted as she was, but was still somewhat exhausted nonetheless. After all, he was a Saiyan and the Saiyan Prince, at that.

As Bulma was about to move towards him, he stopped her.

"Wait." He said.

"Huh?" Bulma asked.

He got up and made his way towards Master Shing's box, pulling out the bed sheet. He spread it on top of her.

"Wow… you really thought of everything… didn't you?" Bulma asked.

"Of course." He answered smugly and making his way inside the sheet.

Bulma moved towards him, resting her head on his chest, as he held her in a sweetheart's cradle. After a while, Vegeta spoke.

"You know…" He began, "You may be an Earthling… But you're still the Saiyan Princess."

Bulma felt butterflies in her stomach hearing him say that.

"And I always will be." She spoke softly after a moment, smiling against one side of his chest, while ministering the other side with her manicured fingernails, "I'll always be your Princess… Vegeta."

Vegeta smiled, hearing her say that, though she couldn't see it.

"Yes… you will indeed." He said, still smiling.

"I love you, Vegeta."

"Hn." He replied and wrapped his tail around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Bulma couldn't deny being a little disappointed by his response, but his tail gesture said it all. She really wanted to hear it from him again, but she wouldn't force it on him. She had a strong feeling that she'd get to hear it from him again, even if it wasn't just yet. Plus hearing him call her the 'Saiyan Princess' was more than enough for now.

"Goodnight… my Prince." She smiled against his chest, kissing it. Despite having been sexually spent, Vegeta loved the feel of her soft luscious lips kissing him there. He stroked her hair with his free hand a little.

"Goodnight… my Princess." He responded.

She was beaming from the inside at his words, as she held onto him. With him, she truly felt like a Princess – the Saiyan Princess. The two fell asleep under the night sky, with the gleaming moon and stars shining their heavenly light upon them.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Offering

Bulma woke up to find herself alone on the bed quilt. She felt really sore in between the legs. It had been far too long since she had last done that and last night was the perfect release for her. She immediately felt afraid, anxious and dejected. Where was her Prince?

She was completely naked, covered only by a bed sheet and all by herself in the middle of nowhere.

Unbeknownst to her, Vegeta was close by and could sense her unease. He was snickering inside.

Bulma heard him snicker and knew that he was up to no good.

'Vegeta… You dirtbag!' Bulma snarled mentally. 'Whatever game your playing, it ends now!'

Vegeta snickered some more and soon began howling with laughter, both on the inside and outside.

'If you don't come out this instant, I'll yell as loud as I can!' Bulma threatened.

'If you do that, I'll close my mental link…' He answered simply, still chuckling inside, 'Is that what you really want – to be left naked and alone in the middle of nowhere with no one to speak to?'

Vegeta totally had her and Bulma knew it. Seems it was Vegeta who now got the best of her.

'I swear, when you come out, I'm going to strangle you!' She groused.

'I wish you the best of luck… woman.' Vegeta said, laughing.

Bulma was infuriated, but she couldn't yell at him, because she knew what that would mean. That just made her all the more livid. Why was he being such a jerk for?

'Well, would you mind explaining why you just left me here?!' She asked.

'That… is the million dollar question.' He answered, completely amused by the state he'd left her in.

'YOU-'

'Ah ah… No shouting, remember?' He reminded calmly, interrupting her and chuckling afterwards.

Bulma groaned.

'Well… when are you coming back?!' She demanded, growing impatient.

'Soon enough.' He answered.

'So… what're you up to?'

'You'll find out…'

'Can't you ever give a straight answer, you royal jerk?!' She groused.

'Haven't heard that one in a while…' Vegeta said, chuckling, 'Technically you're royalty now too… So you're only insulting yourself.'

'Hmph…' Bulma grumbled, 'Such a nice way to treat your Princess… abandoning her in the middle of nowhere, with no clothes on, right after mating with her. Some Prince you are, you big jerk.'

Vegeta laughed a little and then remembered something.

'By the way, there's a capsule next to you, containing some toiletries I had taken before I left the compound.' He said, 'There's a spare toothbrush in there and all the other necessary items. Go to the lake nearby and clean yourself up thoroughly.'

Bulma was surprised at his sudden change of tone from one of amusement to one of seriousness.

'But I have no clothes…' She complained.

'So what?' He said, teasingly, 'Surely you're not ashamed of your body?'

'Stupid, arrogant, jerk-face!' She groused and then just did as he asked.

Vegeta was having the time of his life, at her expense. She still had no idea what he had planned, but a part of her felt that it had to be something good.

'Wait… Won't the water be cold?' Bulma asked apprehensively, as she was headed towards the lake, completely naked, capsule in hand, remembering that it was quite cool when she washed her arm the night before.

'No.' He answered simply.

'How do you know?' She asked.

'I made sure of it… now would you shut-up?!' He groused.

'Whatever, your heinousness.' She replied.

'Is Nappa possessing you?' He asked.

'What?' She asked, baffled, 'Nappa? Wasn't that your Saiyan comrade? What's he got to do with this?'

'Nothing…' Vegeta groaned, 'It's just that he used the same insult on the King of Arlia.'

'Arlia? What's Arlia?' Asked Bulma.

'A bug planet… Or at least it was.' He answered.

'Was?'

'I… uh… blew it up.' He responded, ruefully. Now that he thought back to it that was another example of a time when he killed unnecessarily and he wasn't at all proud of it.

Bulma froze when she heard that. She didn't want to be reminded of what an evil person, the man she loved, once was. Vegeta could sense what was troubling her.

'You said you chose me for who I am… not who I was.' Vegeta reminded her.

'You're right, I'm sorry Vegeta…' Bulma replied, smiling both inside and out, 'I know you're a different person now… and I'll always love you… even when you act like a jerk the way you are now.'

Vegeta smirked inwardly upon hearing her words.

Bulma began scrubbing her teeth and then bathing, cleaning every part of her thoroughly. Truth is, she would've much rather done this with Vegeta, but… oh well. Vegeta was right though, the water in the lake felt warm. How could that have been? Perhaps Vegeta had done something to it. The things he could do never ceased to amaze her.

After she finished and dried up, using Vegeta's towel, she headed back to where he was and was completely taken aback by what she saw. He was wearing his pants, shoes and socks, but was shirtless and preparing a fresh-kill, which was burning on a fire he prepared.

Vegeta turned to her.

"Took you long enough." He said.

"Y-you h-h-hunted th-that?" She asked, looking at the corpse of the gazelle being cooked. Vegeta had already skinned, gutted and emptied out its entrails and blasted everything that was non-edible. All that were left was the carcass of the animal he was cooking and a pool of blood nearby.

Vegeta nodded.

"S-S-So… th-that's what… you w-were d-d-doing?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta nodded once again.

Bulma was speechless.

"I take it, you've never eaten fresh-kill before?" He asked.

Bulma shook her head in the negative.

He then took out his capsule containing all the clothes Master Shing had given him as well as the clothes he and Bulma took off before copulating the night before.

He tossed it to the ground, causing the box to appear.

"Put your clothes on…" He said.

Bulma hesitated for a moment, then went to the box and opened it. Her clothes were clean, but they were her best clothes and she had a feeling they would get dirty.

"Uh… Vegeta?" She asked. Vegeta turned to her. "Can I wear one of your uniforms instead?"

"Why?" He asked, lowering his eyebrows.

"It's just that… this is one of my best dresses… perhaps the best… and… uh…" She explained, "I don't want it to get dirty… you know."

"Fine, go ahead." He sighed. It didn't make much difference to him, anyway.

After putting on her bra, underwear and socks, she put on an emerald green Kung Fu-shirt with two silver dragons designed on either side of the front and a pair of black Kung-Fu pants and shoes.

"How does this look on me?" Bulma asked turning towards Vegeta and presenting herself. She felt it looked quite good. She'd never worn any sort of fighting uniform before in her life, but just putting it on made a fighting spirit soar within her. After all, she was bonded to the Prince of a warrior race, so maybe she should take up fighting herself. Vegeta felt her thoughts.

He simply nodded in approval. It did look good on her. He then thought that perhaps he should teach her the basics of fighting. But he wouldn't think about that now. He wanted to enjoy this post-bond moment with his Princess. Unfortunately for him, Bulma heard his last thoughts.

"Wow, 'Geta." She smirked, "You really love your Princess don't you?"

Vegeta grimaced at her. She laughed and headed towards him, draping her arm around his shoulder.

"I love you too, you grouch." She kissed him on the cheek.

Vegeta ignored her as he continued tending to the meat.

"So… why'd you do this, 'Geta?" She asked after a moment, looking at the meat being cooked. It was nearly prepared.

"It's tradition." He answered simply.

"Oh… and what tradition is that?" Bulma asked, wanting clarification.

"An offering for the… Princess." He answered.

Bulma couldn't deny feeling flattered, but…

"I can't eat all that." She said, goggling at the gazelle.

"Just eat your fill…" Vegeta replied. She was talking too much. "That'll suffice."

Bulma smiled at him and kissed his cheek again.

"I love you, 'Geta." She said, yet again.

"Okay… I get the damn point!" He groused.

Bulma simply giggled and hugged him from the side, resting her head on his shoulder.

A few moments later…

"It's prepared." Vegeta said. He formed a Ki blade with his hand and cut a small slice of meat offering it to Bulma, bringing it near her mouth. She was a little hesitant at first but soon opened her mouth. Vegeta put it inside with his hand and narrowed his eyes, in anticipation, as she chewed.

Bulma's eyes widened.

"Wow… This tastes amazing Vegeta." She said, as she was chewing, "It's so nice, hot, tender and… succulent… I've never tasted anything like this before."

Vegeta smirked. He then cut off another larger piece and ate it himself, before cutting off another, then another and so on, ripping into each and every bit like a lion and yet maintaining his graceful manners by letting none of it go to waste, the way a Prince would.

"Hey… Did you forget about your Princess?" Bulma asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Vegeta smirked at her, cut off another smaller piece and fed it to her. As she was chewing, he kissed her lips and pulled her towards him by her waist in a warm embrace. Bulma was surprised at his action, but couldn't say she wasn't pleased. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she embraced back, still chewing her meat. This was truly a special moment for her – his actions were so unusual and unearthly, but she loved them. He always made her feel great about herself, well perhaps not always, but for the past two weeks, yes.

The two continued eating, with Vegeta having consumed the vast majority of the beast. They were both very well sated, however.

"Should we head home?" Asked Bulma and then remembered. "That reminds me, what's the time?"

Vegeta pulled her phone, still in his pocket and tossed it to her. Luckily she managed to catch it.

"A little heads up next time." She groused.

Vegeta just ignored her.

"Wow… There're so many missed calls." Bulma said, "… And they're all from home."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes.

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

"I have to call back…" She replied, "I can't just leave them hanging."

"Tell them you'll be back in a little while, but not just yet." Vegeta ordered.

"Not yet?" She asked, curiously, then smiled, "What do you have in mind 'Geta?"

Vegeta shook his head, as if to tell her that she'd find out later. Bulma just shrugged her shoulders and called her parents.

She did just as Vegeta had instructed, telling them that she'd be home soon. Afterwards, she turned to Vegeta and was stunned at what he did. Her Saiyan Prince stripped off all his clothes and his underwear so he was completely naked.

"Take your clothes off." Vegeta ordered.

"V-V-Vegeta? Y-you w-w-want t-to d-do this n-n-now?" She asked apprehensively, whilst appraising him up and down. She couldn't deny her desire as she closely inspected him.

"Would you hurry it up?!" He groused. What was up with him? Why was he in such a rush?

Bulma proceeded to take her clothes off. After she finished Vegeta told her to neatly fold them and put them into the capsule box with all the items. He did the same with his.

He then went near her and cradled her into his arms, one arm on her back and the other behind her knees. He proceeded to float slightly off the ground, much to her surprise. She wound her arms around his neck. What was he up to?

"V-V-Vegeta?"

The Prince ignored her and made his way towards the lake. He floated down with her still latching onto him. As he entered the water, he slowly released his grip on her, allowing her to stand on it and immerse her body therein, with his.

The water was shallow on this part of the lake, so Bulma's breasts were just visible.

Vegeta wrapped his tail around her waist underneath the water and wrapped his arms just above where his tail was, pulling him to her and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Bulma was still a little lost from all that had occurred, but eventually gathered her bearings and kissed back.

"Wow, Vegeta." Bulma said, after a while when they had pulled back. "It feels so nice in here with you."

Vegeta smirked and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling in her sweet scent. He breathed into her neck and kissed the top of her shoulder.

The two continued enjoying themselves in the lake, often splashing each other, generally swimming around, snuggling, kissing and fondling, sometimes underwater, before finally getting up, drying themselves with Vegeta's towel, changing into some new clothes (putting on the same socks and underwear they had on before and in Bulma's case, bra) and heading home, packing up and capsulizing everything they had left behind.

They landed in the balcony of her room. It was around mid-day. After letting go of Bulma, Vegeta headed inside with her and de-capsulized Master Shing's box and stuffed the dirty bed-quilt and bed sheet inside the hamper, which was barely able to contain much more. Bulma knew she'd have to take it to the laundry, not that she minded.

A little while later, Bulma told her that her mother had found the two of them sleeping next to one-another the night he left. Initially Vegeta wasn't too happy about it, but then he acknowledged that one way or another the ditzy blonde-haired woman would've found out, so he let it slide.

~~~~


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Bearing

Several days passed on with Bulma and Vegeta's love-filled relationship continuing to blossom and her parents having learned of how they had bonded. Although a little stunned at the odd blood-ritual they had undergone, the elder Briefs had quickly accepted their daughter and houseguest's decision. They still hadn't told anyone about their mental link, nor would they. What they shared with one-another was between them and them alone.

Mrs. Brief was ecstatic about their new love, while Dr. Brief, though mainly silent about it on the outside, was delighted on the inside and relieved at the completeness and contentment he could see in both of them. They were more open with one-another now, not at all troubled with kissing or snuggling whilst inside the compound, during breakfast lunch or some other time, whenever they ran into one-another… as long as it was only their parents around.

Since the gravity chamber was still being built, though it was nearly complete, Vegeta had spent the majority of the past days focusing on his mind training, springing forth more of that massive well of energy he could feel inside of him. He was surprisingly patient and allowed Bulma more room to focus on her obligations as vice-president. Unbeknownst to him, this worked towards his favor. The lack of stress allowed Bulma's productivity to triple whenever she worked on re-building the necessary parts for the gravity chamber. On several occasions, Vegeta did enjoy himself with Bulma, engaging in various activities, such as watching films or playing table tennis, chess, pool and poker, but especially swimming in their backyard pool. He really enjoyed that… He had always been exceptionally talented in the water, being able to move at rapid speeds in the liquid medium and capable of remaining underwater for hours at a time.

It was Saturday morning. Bulma invited Vegeta to come with him to the beach, so they could enjoy themselves, spending the day out for a little while. Vegeta had reluctantly agreed, especially when she promised him some really delectable dishes at a restaurant nearby. This was her favourite restaurant – the same one where she had dumped Yamcha three weeks prior.

After enjoying the mouth-watering meals, the Saiyan Prince and Princess left the joint.

"So, how about we walk along the beach before having a swim, 'Geta?" Bulma asked.

"Hmmm… Why not?" Vegeta agreed. The idea sounded pleasant to him. After all, he did enjoy the view, although he didn't really like the people there, not that he ever liked people in general.

"Great!" Bulma beamed. Vegeta certainly was a lot easier on her these days. "Follow me."

Bulma headed towards the change rooms. She pressed a capsule containing her swimming clothes and towels and tossed it nearby. She had packed a few pairs of knee-level swimming shorts for Vegeta too, in various colors so he could pick. She'd also put tail holes in them in the appropriate spot.

"So, what color, do you want to wear?" Bulma asked.

"Anything that's not pink … or some other girly color." Vegeta answered, still remembering that pink monstrosity he was forced into wearing the day he returned to Earth from his unsuccessful Kakarot-hunting endeavors.

Bulma giggled and rolled her eyes, knowing what was on his mind.

"Here, have this." She said, handing him a pair of crimson red swimming shorts.

"So I change into this?" Vegeta asked, "Where?"

"Right in there." She said, pointing to the men's change-room.

Vegeta proceeded inside.

Bulma picked out a tankini, with a lavender top that was illustrated with ornate red flowers and a pink bottom.

~~~~

Inside the male change-rooms, Vegeta quickly finished putting on his swimming shorts, neatly folded and stacked his previous clothes and left the joint, every man in the room staring at him in awe as he made his way outside, carrying himself with his trademark regal grace and pride, ignoring them completely. They'd never seen a man with a tail before or anyone with such a well carved-out figure. He could sense Bulma's Ki-signal, nearby. Seems she was still in another change room next to the one he had just left. Of course he didn't know that it was a female change-room.

He went towards the female change-room and made his way inside, completely unprepared for the ruckus that would ensue as a result of his presence.

"ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!" Several women who noticed the male intruder screamed. Vegeta cringed at the unison of screams he heard. Bulma turned around to see what was going on.

"SHUT-UP YOU STUPID LOUDMOUTH BANSHEE-"

"VEGETA!" Bulma interrupted, after noticing that he was there. She was halfway through changing into her tankini, her top half still bare. She was covering her nipples with her arm, as she turned around, not too pleased with her Prince… Realizing that he obviously didn't know any better, she softened her tone a little, though it was still somewhat harsh. "Get outside, now! I'll be out it a minute, okay?!"

Vegeta groused and left the room.

The women inside the change-room all looked at Bulma condescendingly, causing her to groan in exasperation. After changing into her swimwear, she left the place.

She quickly found Vegeta standing nearby with his arms crossed and a scowl etched on his face. She couldn't help but giggle a little when she saw him like that.

"It's about damn time!" He groused, "Why'd you shout at me like that?!"

Bulma took his folded clothes and capsulized them along with her own, before sauntering along the foot path and gesturing for him to follow as they spoke.

"Look, that's a woman's only change room and last I checked, you're not a woman." Bulma explained, chuckling.

Vegeta snarled at her, before responding.

"So what?" He asked, his tone less harsh, "What's the freaking difference?"

"The difference is that one room is for men and the other for women, got it?"

"Why have different rooms?" He asked, with one eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"For privacy." She explained. She couldn't help but feel humored at his innocent child-like nature, in such regards. Despite his history, he reminded her so much of Goku as a kid, simply because he wasn't accustomed or understanding of some of the most elemental human standards. "Men and women aren't supposed to look at each other like that… in public."

"Why would they look at each other?" He asked, "Aren't those rooms designed simply for changing clothes?"

"Well yes… but sometimes men and women can't help staring at each other." She explained, "So it's done out of… caution, you know?"

"Hmph… Are humans really that insecure?" Vegeta scoffed, "What a pathetic race."

"Well, not all of us are like that!" She said, frowning defensively, "Just like not all Saiyans are murderers!"

Bulma immediately regretted what she said. It just came out. She bowed her head to the ground immediately after.

"Sorry… Vegeta…" She said apologetically, "I didn't mean to-"

"I could care less." Vegeta said, in a seemingly calm manner, though he couldn't deny being hurt at her words. Bulma looked up at him and could see the hurt in his deep black eyes, which he hid behind his stoic facade.

"Vegeta, really, I just-"

"Do you really look at me and see nothing but a murderer?" He asked her.

Bulma was now filled with remorse, seeing the vast extent of the hurt her words had caused him, in those obsidian orbs of his. How could she have been so stupid? She was not implying that Vegeta was a murderer at all, because he wasn't… anymore. All she was trying to do was point out how it's wrong to stereotype others.

"No Vegeta…" She said, smiling at him, "When I look at you, I see a great man… I see a Prince… my Prince."

Vegeta looked at her in confusion. Why the sudden change in tone? He knew she was being sincere though… Her azure eyes said as much.

"Then why say-"

"I wasn't referring to you when I said that Vegeta…" She interrupted. She then snaked her arm around his shoulders, holding herself firmly against him and resting her head on his shoulder as they continued walking. "I never look at you that way… Not anymore. I was simply trying to point out that it's wrong to judge an entire race like that… Yes, there are many idiot humans, but it's not right to condemn all of us, because of that."

Vegeta understood what she was saying and breathed a sigh of relief as he wrapped his tail around her thigh and draped his own arm around her waist. Bulma smiled when he did that, pressing her side against his more firmly. He always knew how to be romantic. She always felt complete around him and smiled, as the two of them continued walking.

"Wow, that's Bulma Brief!" Some random man exclaimed.

"Dude, she is one hot babe." A man by his side commented, eyeing her salaciously. "Those newspapers don't do her justice man… I would give anything to tap that sweet ass, whoooh."

Both Vegeta and Bulma heard this and the Prince instinctively released himself from her grip and unwrapped his tail from her thigh and his arm from around her waist, before making his way towards the man, grabbing him around the throat and lifting him off the ground, a grip not tight enough to kill him, but enough to make him cry out in pain.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THAT WAY ABOUT MY WOMAN YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" He snarled, "DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?!"

"Vegeta, no!" Bulma ran up to him and grabbed his arm, "Vegeta, please stop…"

Vegeta turned towards her and saw the hurt and pleading look in her face. What was up with her? He was just defending her honor. However, he did not like seeing that expression on her, so he threw his intended victim a couple yards forward, landing him on the ground. The man immediately retreated backwards, terror-stricken after what had just happened.

Everyone surrounding them looked in awe at the finely muscled man and he began looking at all of them, as he spoke, in warning.

"If any one of you has the nerve to insult my woman," He scowled, bearing his elongated fangs and turning in various directions towards the crowd, as he made his point. He spoke with a silent, but deadly, cutting-edge harshness, enunciating each and every word, "I'll gouge your eyes out and make you eat them, got it?!"

The crowd quickly dissipated, being struck with fear like never felt before. His elongated fangs had done the trick. They'd all think twice before daring to check out Bulma Brief.

Bulma didn't like seeing Vegeta behave this way and make such bold threats, nor did she like attracting crowds like that. But she couldn't deny being flattered. He was always protective of her in a way no one else was. Yamcha would never have done anything like that. He simply rolled his eyes when another man made obscene remarks about her body.

She smiled at Vegeta and began caressing his cheek with her hand, as she leaned forward and kissed his lips gently.

"Thanks, Vegeta…" She said, still smiling, "But you don't have to be that protective… Like I said, there's so many idiots out there… He's just a low-life, nothing more. Men like that are too stupid to know any better."

"You're my woman…" Vegeta said, eyes narrowed, "No one has the right to insult you like that."

Bulma felt such a deep sense of love from him. No wonder their bond was special.

"I'll always be your woman…" She said, still smiling, "But you have to relax, Vegeta… You're not evil anymore… You're not a murderer."

Vegeta looked at her for a moment.

"Look, Vegeta…" She said, "Don't let their words get to you. As long as they don't hurt me, don't worry about it."

"Fine, I won't kill them." He said, after sighing in exasperation. He wasn't angry with her at all, only with the man that had dared to utter those words about her. "But they will know that if they dare to objectify you, they will regret it."

Bulma sighed. Sometimes, there was no helping him.

"Vegeta…" She said, "I don't like dealing with idiots like that and I hate being surrounded by a crowd of onlookers."

"I don't see a crowd, anywhere…" Vegeta smirked, "And you don't have to deal with filthy trash like that. You're a Princess and this world is your domain… They're pieces of dirt, who should know better than to speak of you that way."

Bulma felt butterflies in her stomach and smiled upon hearing that. He sure knew how to lift her spirits. She never knew he thought this highly of her. He truly was the Prince of her dreams. Maybe he was right. She didn't agree with his methods, but perhaps she shouldn't just let people like that off scot-free. It wasn't right to objectify others.

She draped her arms around his neck and captured his lips in a deep passionate kiss, pressing her body against his. She could never tire of that feel and neither could he. Vegeta was confused, but eventually he began kissing back, wrapping his arms around her waist and embracing her, while doing so. After a while she pulled back.

"I love you, Vegeta." She said.

"Hn." Was his only reply, as he was about to wrap his tail around her thigh once again. Sensing what he was about to do, Bulma removed one of her arms from around his neck grabbed his tail before he could do as intended and brought it face-level, inspecting it. The Saiyan Prince was as perplexed as ever.

She gently kissed his tail near the tip, which sent a massive shockwave of electricity throughout Vegeta's body. She then began rubbing her cheek on its baby-soft fur and kissing it more, loving the nice soft feel of it, before noticing him purring like never before. She hadn't ever done that to him, even though they had copulated a few times already.

"W-W-Wo-m-m-man." Was all Vegeta could mutter, his eyelids fluttering. His arousal was spiraling like crazy.

Bulma immediately let go realizing what the problem was and released her hold on his neck.

"S-S-Sorry…" She said.

After a moment, Vegeta sighed in relief, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding, as if he'd been carrying an entire planet on his shoulders and it had just been lifted off.

"Don't do that again…" He warned, in a surprisingly gentle tone. After feeling aroused like that, he just didn't have it in him to be all that angry right off the bat, "Or I won't be able to help myself."

"W-W-What do you mean?" Bulma asked apprehensively.

"It arouses me…" He said, "Far too much… If you did that any longer I'd have completely lost control and taken you on the spot."

Bulma gasped.

"A-A-Are y-you… s-s-serious?"

"I told you…" He said, "I can't help myself… Do that in private if you must, but not here…"

Bulma goggled at him for a few moments. He was being serious. She'd made a fatal error. Even then, there was an upside.

"Well…" She smirked, "I guess I have a few new ideas during our… alone-time."

"Careful what you wish for woman." He smirked back, "There's only so much you can handle."

"Don't underestimate the Saiyan Princess." She said, grinning at him.

Vegeta chuckled a little. He loved the way she said it, taking pride in her new title.

"Very well." He relented, grinning back.

The two continued their walk along the beach.

After a few moments, the royal couple noticed a group of five women, attractive by human standards, appraising Vegeta's flawless figure. They were literally drooling over him.

"Stupid floozies…" Bulma groused. Vegeta was hers, not theirs. She was always angry with Yamcha for his "fan club" even though he didn't really do much with them, but that was the point. He allowed them to come up to him and start holding him, flirting and feeling him as they pleased, while he just laughed embarrassedly, like an idiot. As far as she was concerned, that was flirting, despite the fact that he himself didn't really make any moves, other than taking peeks at them here and there.

"Like I care about whores like them." Vegeta said, looking at her.

"I know, but I still hate them looking at you that way." She said, "They have no claim over you… Only I do."

"Hmm…" Vegeta smirked at her, "I have an idea… Stay right where you are."

A feeling of trepidation suddenly overcame Bulma. Was he going to threaten them or hurt them? That was exactly not what she wanted.

Vegeta turned to those women and gestured for them to come over to him.

"What are you doing?!" Bulma hissed, harshly, not expecting him to have done that.

"Shhh… You'll find out." He answered.

They approached him and were about five yards away.

"Hey hot-stuff." One of them said.

"You're so damn sexy…" Another said, "I just want to get my hands all over you."

"SHUT-"

"Shhh…" Vegeta said, draping his hand over Bulma's mouth, interrupting her just as she was about to shriek at the promiscuous women.

'Just wait a moment… You're going to love this.' He thought to her.

Vegeta removed his hand from her mouth. She supposed she would follow along with him. He must have had something in mind, but she still didn't like seeing those idiot bimbos ogling over him like that.

"Hey, what's your problem you-" The woman began addressing Bulma sternly, but was interrupted by Vegeta.

"Well… I am in the mood for some fun." Vegeta said, feigning arousal. Bulma gaped at him. What could he possibly be planning? She didn't know, but she didn't like him talking this way. "And you might be able to give me just what I'm looking for."

"VEG-"

'Shhh… Just watch, here it comes… The best part.' Vegeta spoke mentally, once again draping his hand over her mouth and in doing so, obstructing her speech.

The second woman sashayed towards him and when she was just over two yards away, Vegeta pulled Bulma to him, snaking his arms around her waist underneath her arms, pressing her firmly against him and capturing her lips in a deep passionate kiss. Bulma was stunned at his action. The woman immediately stopped in her tracks and her expression quickly averted to one of disbelief and disappointment. Just what in the world happened? Vegeta continued kissing Bulma for a while and soon she put her hands on either side of his face and began kissing back. When she did that, he moved his hands downwards to her rear and grabbed her there firmly, causing her to squeal in delight and surprise. He then wrapped his tail around her thigh. So that was his plan? She hated the means, but the end would most likely make the whole scheme more than worthwhile.

As they were kissing, their hands began exploring each other's figures, The other women just looked on despondently. They wanted a piece of him… so badly, especially after seeing him making out with the woman by his side. He was the finest looking specimen they'd ever seen and he was the one who invited them over. They were completely speechless. Was he just toying with them?

After a while, Vegeta pulled back and smirked at Bulma, who was now smirking back, as her hands lay on his chest and her thumb caressed his pectoral muscles. His right hand rested on her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb, his other hand placed firmly on her hip. He broke the silence, his gaze still fixed towards Bulma.

"Well, I think you've all provided me with enough entertainment…" He said, "You may now leave."

"B-But y-you i-invited us." The woman close to them said.

"Yes I did." He agreed, "But now that the party's over, you may go."

"Yeah, get lost you stupid nymphs!" Bulma growled, facing them.

Vegeta chuckled when she said that. Seems spending some time with Bulma all those days prior did help expand his vocabulary somewhat. The two of them were still in the same position as before.

The other girls were all completely livid now. The one near them moved slightly forward in a threatening manner.

"YOU LISTEN HERE YOU BITCH. HE INV-"

Her speech was muffled as Vegeta moved towards her and tightly gripped her jaw and mouth, but not tight enough to hurt her too badly of course.

"Do not ever speak that way to my woman, whore." He warned, speaking in a deceptively calm manner as she struggled to free herself from his hold. He immediately let her go and she looked at him in absolute dread, slowly retreating backwards to her friends.

Bulma was frozen on the spot, her fisted hand placed on her fluttering heart. She was deeply flattered at his words, but still a little afraid. She knew Vegeta loved her and cared for her, to the extent that if anything or anyone even remotely threatened her, he'd destroy the threat. It was what she always wanted – a Prince who did everything for the safety and welfare of his Princess. Yamcha was nothing like that. At the same time, she thought he should tone down his actions a little.

Vegeta grinned evilly at all of them, baring his elongated fangs, as he spoke.

"I suggest you whores leave now…" He said and waited for a while, before taking a step forward, causing them back away. He continued in an even harsher manner, "Unless you all wish to die, flee!"

The women were all terrified to death and quickly ran away. That creature was no man. He was a beast - a crazy demon of some sort. After all, he had a tail, which they didn't pay much attention to in the beginning, having been drawn to the beast's marvelous figure. He also had such dangerously sharp-looking fangs, which made his villainous grin that much more evil.

Unbeknownst to Vegeta, a nearby paparazzo had taken a few photos of what had occurred. Vegeta then sensed the intruder and turned his attention towards him. The moment the paparazzo saw Vegeta's evil glance directed his way, he fled as fast as he could, not wanting to be the next victim of this tailed beast.

Bulma then turned and saw the cameraman, who had soon afterwards entered his vehicle and driven away. She smacked her forehead.

"Oh no…" She said despondently, palm still on forehead, "God damn it… This is going to be horrible."

Vegeta turned his attention to her, completely baffled.

"What?" He asked, "What's the problem?"

"That guy…" She said, "He's one of those undercover photographers that keep trying to catch me off guard so the newspapers can write some bullshit stories about me… Oh God… The journalists will soon be all over me."

Vegeta scoffed.

"I don't see the problem…" He said bluntly, "When the journalists come I'll just destroy them."

Bulma giggled a little.

"Sorry, Vegeta…" She said, "But that's not going to happen."

"Well, either way…" He said, "Since I created this problem, I'll have to deal with it."

Bulma was about to interrupt, when he put his hand up to silence her.

"I won't kill them or harm them…" He said, smirking, "But I may have some other tricks up my sleeve."

Bulma didn't like the look on his face, but still…

"Well as long as you keep your word on not killing or hurting anyone," She said, looking at him and smiling, "I think it's alright."

Vegeta grinned at her. He couldn't believe he got her to give in that easily.

"By the way, Vegeta." She said, "You don't have to defend me all the time… I don't know how to fight all that well, but I'm pretty sure I could've taken on that stupid bitch if she attacked me."

Bulma couldn't deny that she was once much like those girls, only she was at least decent enough not to take it beyond flirting, except with Yamcha and she didn't go after a man who was already with another woman.

Vegeta furrowed his brows in contemplation of her words.

"But what if her friends helped her?" He asked.

Bulma thought about that for a moment.

"But that'd be five against one." She said, "That's no fair."

"There is no fair or unfair in battle." He replied, eyes narrowed, "There is only victory or defeat. Survival is the only rule."

Bulma looked at him curiously.

"So what're you trying to say exactly?"

"Well…" Vegeta sighed, "What if I… taught you?"

"Taught me… what?" She asked.

"How to fight?"

Bulma gasped. She was as stunned as ever. Never had she expected this. Teach her how to fight? The idea enthralled her deeply. No one among her friends had ever made her such an offer, certainly not Yamcha.

"Like… how to move super-fast, attack with that insane power and use Ki blasts?" She asked, "But… I've never really learned how. I don't know if I have it in me."

"You are the Princess of the an elite warrior race." Vegeta reminded her, smirking. "It is only fitting that you uphold your title."

Vegeta's words sent jolts of electricity through her. He believed in her and was strongly convinced that she had it in her to learn under his wing and to be his disciple. He saw her as someone worthy. She couldn't disappoint him – there was no way. She would prove herself to him – she would prove that she was worthy of being his Princess.

"Yes, I accept." She said smiling and moved forward, embracing him, arms around his neck. He responded yet again, by draping his arms around her waist.

He smirked. This was perfect.

"So, when do we start?" She asked, still holding him in an embrace.

"Hmmm… Let's say… Monday." He said, "That way I'll have time to think."

"Yes… This is so great Vegeta. I can't wait… I can't wait!" She said, exhilarated.

"Don't get excited just yet." He said, "This training will take everything out of you and now that you've agreed, there's no going back."

Bulma gasped and pulled back.

"You never told me that." She said.

"I just did, didn't I?" He said smirking.

Bulma mused for a moment.

"Fine… Have it your way." She smirked back. She didn't care how hard the training was. She would pull through, no matter what. Even then, she couldn't help but feel anxious.

After they had finished walking, they spent a long time swimming and having fun in the water, afterwards drying up and changing. The pair then returned home by around 3:00 pm. Bulma wanted to spend some more time engaging in other fun activities, but Vegeta told her that he really needed to continue his training and that she had to work on the gravity chamber, which he needed repaired soon. Though he avoided putting too much pressure on her, she did agree to work faster to have him up and running once again. After all, he did promise to train her and even though that wasn't exactly her idea of fun, she would take whatever she could get if it meant spending more time with her Prince. She hadn't exactly engaged in strenuous exercises as of recent, but in the past she did spend time sprinting, running, riding her bicycle and swimming long distances, plus she did engage in physically-straining sports, such as beach soccer and volley-ball. It would take time to whip herself back into shape, but with Vegeta's guidance that may not take all that long.

Vegeta continued his mind training, while Bulma continued working on the gravity chamber.

Vegeta could feel more and more of the primal energy soaring within him. Since he wasn't exerting himself physically, he simply wore a red/gold top and black bottom of one of Master Shing's Kung Fu uniforms. He had been wearing those uniforms very often in recent days. He had kind of grown to like them. After all, without Master Shing's instruction, his mind training wouldn't be nearly as effective and it wasn't long before it would be complete. He'd just hope that the gravity chamber would be would be fixed soon, so he could work on further harnessing the massive well of energy he felt brewing inside. Once it was fixed, he would be able to blend together his mental and physical training in order to delve into his power deeper and deeper.

It was 9:00 pm and Vegeta went to Bulma's laboratory.

He stealthily snuck up behind her and wound his arms above her bosom, while she was sitting, bringing his face next to hers.

Bulma gasped in surprise, but soon realized who it was. She smiled at the warm feeling she got every time she felt his touch.

"Vegeta…" She said, putting her hand on his forearm, "I'm almost done."

"Almost done what?"

"It should take around two more days to finish the gravity chamber or perhaps three or four if I spent time training with you." She answered.

Vegeta grunted in approval, rubbed his face against hers and kissed her cheek.

"Come to bed." He ordered.

Bulma was stunned. This was the first time he'd asked that of her.

"Shouldn't I work on these parts some more?" She asked, "I'm almost done. I shouldn't be more than ten minutes."

"No… Bed now." He mumbled into her ear, "These can wait for tomorrow."

Bulma smiled.

"Okay, my Prince." She whispered.

She got up, went to her room, fixed her hair, removed her clothes, had a shower with Vegeta, dried and changed into her long pink nightgown (A/N: The one she wears in second and third episode of Dragon Ball). Vegeta, on the other hand, simply threw his old clothes in the hamper and was wearing only his knee-level blue boxers. Funny thing was that Vegeta's room hadn't really been used in about three weeks, other than when Bulma moved some of his stuff to the hospital or in her room. It was as good as useless now. All his stuff was now in Bulma's room. It was, after all, big enough to accommodate the two of them easily.

When they were in bed, Vegeta held her in a sweetheart's cradle. Soon afterwards, he sensed something he hadn't noticed before. Another Ki signal was present in the room. What was it? He closed his eyes for a moment, searching for it's location and was stunned at what he felt.

'No, it can't be.'

He concentrated his senses more deeply and he had confirmed it now. It was a Saiyan Ki signal. Vegeta's eyes widened.

"Woman…" He whispered.

"Mmmm…" Bulma mumbled, half-asleep.

"Woman, you have to wake up." He whispered, a little louder.

Bulma slowly began pulling herself together.

"What is it?" She asked, still a little sleepy.

He didn't know how to tell her. How would she take it? Would she freak out or be angry? He didn't know. But he couldn't hide the truth from her. No way. They were mates and that meant they couldn't conceal such things from one-another.

"You're…" He tried, but couldn't say it.

"Vegeta… What is it?" She asked, now fully having regained her composure. She noticed from his voice that he felt somewhat troubled. She moved up to look into his obsidian orbs, wherein she saw his state of shock. She could still see, since the drapes were open and the light of the moon and stars made things visible. "What's up with you?"

Vegeta removed his arm from around her and gently moved her, so she was facing the ceiling, on her side of the bed. He then moved closer and put a hand on her belly. She looked at him in confusion.

"You're bearing my child." He informed her, in a soft voice.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38: My woman and my child

Bulma gasped and her eyes widened like never before when she heard that.

"V-V-Vegeta?"

He nodded his head, knowing what she meant to ask.

"A-A-Are you sure?"

"Hn…" He affirmed, "I sensed a faint Saiyan Ki signal coming from inside you."

Bulma was completely taken aback, but still found it in her to smile. She put her hand on Vegeta's hand that rested on her. A child? She hadn't considered that possibility for the longest time. She always wanted to be a mother. It was a privilege she had never experienced before and prior to hooking up with Vegeta, she'd almost given up hope, since she could see the very foundation of her and Yamcha's relationship crumble, each moment they were together. Even until now, she hadn't given it much thought. It just happened so quickly. She was carrying Vegeta's child in her womb – a Saiyan child – that was another thing she'd never have imagined. She felt happy though. She was looking forward to this. But still, how would they let everyone know?

"What're we going to do?" Asked Vegeta, moving closer to her.

He said 'we'. That word said it all. Him gently placing his hand on her belly and using that word spoke volumes of his intentions. She could sense the anxiety and strain in his voice, as would be the case with any man learning that he would be a father, but he was still planning on staying with them. She could tell. He wouldn't leave them. Of course he wouldn't. How could she even consider that? He was her Prince and they loved one-another deeply.

"We're going to go to sleep right now and think about everything tomorrow." She said, smiling warmly at him, "I'm just really happy right now and I want to stay that way and not worry about anything."

"But, what will we tell your parents?" He asked.

Bulma kissed his lips.

"Try not to stress yourself Vegeta." She said calmly, still smiling, "We'll figure this all out tomorrow. Right now just rest and enjoy this moment, alright?"

Vegeta sighed. How was he supposed to feel? He always thought the royal bloodline of the Saiyan race would die with him. But now he knew that wasn't the case. The proof was right in front of him, in the womb of his woman… his Princess… his everything. Bulma could sense his angst.

"It's okay Vegeta." She said, "Everything will be alright. We'll have this child and raise it together. That's all there is to it, so don't think about anything else. Nothing else matters right now. You owe yourself a break, so just let it all go."

Vegeta closed his eyes and sighed, trying to get rid of all the stress building up inside of him. Maybe she was right. Worrying himself to death didn't serve any purpose. He should take his woman's advice and just treasure this moment. It was his moment with his woman and his child to-be. He'd never ever considered having a child before and all of a sudden it became a reality. It felt good – strangely good to him. It was better than anything he'd ever felt.

Vegeta smiled at her, genuinely, once again – a rare occurrence. She felt elated from inside, seeing him smile yet again. This time the smile remained on his face. It wasn't for a fleeting moment like always before. She could see it and it made her beam with joy and contentment. His smile alone was enough to soothe her and heal her soul completely. Vegeta leaned forward and kissed her.

"I love you." He said. A second time he uttered those words, once again feeling no shame and regret, only joy and happiness. He felt at peace like never before.

Bulma's eyes widened. She felt it. She felt his love through his smile, through his obsidian orbs and through his soul. But for him to actually say those words again suddenly lifted all of her worries. She felt just as good or possibly even better than she had the first time he said it and that was saying a lot. She fought back the tears of joy threatening to escape her eyes. She had to be strong for his sake.

"I love you too…" Bulma said, "More than anything…"

Vegeta draped his free arm around her shoulders from underneath and moved his face next to hers, resting on her pillow. They both fell asleep shortly afterwards.

It was 5:00 am and Vegeta's eyes snapped open. It was time to continue his training. He kissed Bulma gently on the lips, ensuring not to wake her. He then caressed her stomach gently, before going outside to begin his mind training. After about three hours he was called in for breakfast.

Bulma was at the table already, smiling warmly at him. He sat next to her and they kissed. Their relationship was no longer a secret so neither of them had a problem with displaying their affection anymore… at least in front of Bulma's parents. Dr. Brief was still asleep, having had a late night last night, working on a project for the company.

~~~~

Yamcha was training with Jethro and Hunter. They had learned some great new moves and their power had increased tremendously. He agreed to train them about two hours each morning, which Naomi had kindly agreed to. It was 8:00 am and in about a half-hour their session was due to finish. It was tiring and exhausting for the boys to say the least. They hadn't imagined such extreme training regimens – this was far beyond their league but at the same time, it exhilarated them, because they knew that they were growing stronger and stronger. They easily began dominating the senior students of their dojo, only days into the training.

Naomi was now working for Capsule Corporation. One look at her credentials and talents and the managers in the finance department were swept off their feet. She would be a great asset to the company. A few days ago she had given in her letter of resignation to her now former workplace, after having been accepted by Capsule Corporation. Her workload was much lighter and her pay, significantly higher. The fact that she was allowed to choose her own hours made it all so much better. As long as she met all her deadlines, she could work any number of hours and being as talented as she was, this worked heavily in her favor. Boy, was she glad she knew Bulma Brief. Life had become so much easier now. She had the weekends all to herself.

Jasmine was sleeping at that moment. Naomi was inside and had just woken up, wearing her pink satin knee-level sleeping gown, with a white cotton tube top. Before going to wake up her little sister, she decided to go and open the front door, to allow some fresh air inside, which was simple since the door behind it was a stainless steel mesh door, which allowed for easy ventilation. However, behind the door she saw the morning newspaper. She opened the door to pick up the newspaper and when she saw Bulma's name on the front cover, she was quite intrigued. Her new friend did reveal how journalists would often right hogwash about her.

After reading the title and analyzing the picture on the front cover closely, she immediately dashed towards Yamcha and the boys – Bulma was holding her hand to her heart, while a finely muscled beast of a man stood in front of her holding another woman by the jaw, as some other women behind her cowered in fear. Through the picture alone, she could see the fear in their eyes.

"Yamcha, quick!" Naomi exclaimed, holding the newspaper in her hands.

"What is it?" Yamcha asked. Naomi reached him and handed him the newspaper. Jethro and Hunter looked on to see what was so important that their training had to be interrupted.

The front-line read:

"BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – BULMA BRIEF – BILLIONAIRE HEIRESS TO CAPSULE CORPORATION'S NEW MAN!"

"Vegeta!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"W-What?!" Jethro asked, startled.

"You mean…" Hunter began, instantly remembering the name, "The guy that knocked out twenty-three guys at once?"

Yamcha looked at him and nodded his head.

"He did what?!" Asked Naomi, eyes widened like never before.

"Yeah, he was amazing!" Exclaimed Jethro, "He moved like lightning. He just let one guy punch him straight in the face as hard as he could. It didn't even leave a mark and the guy ended up breaking his own arm."

Naomi's heart was pounding against her chest. She'd never known of such super-human feats before – she knew Yamcha was very strong, but hadn't really paid that much attention to his training. Maybe now she would. This was completely nuts though.

"What're more, Yamcha told us that all of that doesn't even come close to his real power!" Hunter picked up from where his older brother left off. "He said that that guy's the second most powerful fighter on the planet."

Naomi shifted her gaze in Yamcha's direction, looking for an explanation.

"Y-Yamcha?" She began, "I-Is that t-true?"

Yamcha nodded his head in affirmative.

"Vegeta's insanely strong…" He said, "My own powers are like a mouse compared to his."

Naomi looked at him with an expression of utter shock.

"B-But what about B-Bulma?" She asked.

Yamcha sighed.

"He lives with Bulma." He answered.

"They l-live together?" She asked. She didn't believe it at first. She thought the story was just another pile of trash, but was this the man Bulma had spoke about? She couldn't tell Yamcha – she made a promise. But she still needed to ask. "Are they…?"

Yamcha shook his head.

"As far as I know, they're not…" He said, "I asked Vegeta if they were together a little over a week ago and he just snarled at me, which was an obvious no."

"You spoke with him?!" Jethro asked, completely stunned, "So you actually know the guy… in person?"

"Yeah…" Yamcha replied, "He's extremely powerful but he's a real jerk. It's hard to tell what his intentions are. Bulma's convinced he's a good person… but I'm not so sure…"

"You mean… He's a bad guy?" Asked Hunter. Naomi was simply listening to the conversation playing out with her arms folded, wanting to know more. One thing for sure was, she didn't want Bulma in danger. This guy looked like trouble and if he truly was as powerful as Yamcha said, then it would be dangerous for her to be living with him.

"He was…" Yamcha said. He knew Vegeta was certainly an arrogant, annoying jerk, but he couldn't say for sure if he was bad or not. He did have a terrible track record but after Bulma told him of his tragic past, he didn't exactly feel right judging him like that. "I don't know if he still is… and… uh… I don't know why Bulma cares about him so much, but…"

"Does she love him?" Asked Naomi.

"I don't think so…" Replied Yamcha, "See, Vegeta's had a terrible past. His mother and father were murdered and he was forced into slavery, when he was just five years old. The guy responsible made him do terrible things, but after he died, Vegeta was free… Bulma knew him from her travels and so invited him to live with her at Capsule Corporation. I don't know why, but she says that she wants to help him overcome his demons."

Yamcha owed his friends the truth, but he tried to avoid telling them the details.

The others felt disheartened after what they had heard, especially the children, since they'd lost their parents as well, but for them to be killed and to be forced into serving their killer was suffering beyond imagination.

"Yamcha…" Naomi said, "I understand what you're saying, but… I just… don't want Bulma in any danger. She's my friend… I just want to make sure she's all right… Please, just visit her and make sure everything's okay."

"Sure thing, Naomi." He responded, "But… I still don't think she's forgiven me, so perhaps I-"

"Dammit Yamcha, she's been your friend all those years!" Naomi exclaimed back, "Her well-being is more important than some stupid heart-break!"

Yamcha cringed at her tone, but then sighed in defeat.

"You're right…" He said, "I'll pay her a visit this afternoon, but I can't promise anything."

"Can we come too?" Pleaded Jethro, "I really want to meet this guy. He sounds so cool!"

"No, Jethro." Yamcha said, "He's dangerous and unpredictable. I won't put either of you in harm's way."

"But you said he was forced to do bad things." Hunter said, "It's not like he had a choice… He can't be all that bad… Can he?"

"I'm not saying he's necessarily bad Hunter." Yamcha said, "He's just unpredictable, that's all. This isn't up for discussion. You're both staying right here, where it's safe."

"No fair!" Jethro groused.

"Too bad, life's not fair…" Naomi said, gratified by the care and concern that Yamcha was showing. "Yamcha's right… You're both staying right here."

"But-"

"End of discussion!" Yamcha exclaimed, interrupting Jethro.

"By the way… why does he have a tail?" Naomi asked, having looked more closely.

Yamcha's eyes narrowed and he looked more closely at the picture. He hadn't paid much attention before. How did Vegeta's tail grow back?

"He shouldn't…" Yamcha said, "This is strange. I really have to find out what's going on… If I can't get Bulma or Vegeta to tell me, I'll have to ask Goku."

"Who's Goku?" Asked Jethro.

"He's a very old friend of mine." Yamcha answered, "In fact, he's one of my best friends. If Vegeta does get out-of-hand, Goku's the one person on this planet who has the power to stop him."

The trio of siblings gasped and their eyes widened.

"H-H-He's th-the one?" Hunter asked.

Yamcha nodded his head.

"He and Vegeta are rivals." Yamcha said, "I can trust Goku with anything, so I guess I'll speak with him… if I have to."

The trio nodded their heads slowly in unison. Yamcha had never really told them any of this before. How was he acquainted with such powerful fighters?

"Can we meet him someday… if not that Vegeta guy?" Jethro asked, after recollecting himself.

"Yeah sure, whenever I visit him next time." Yamcha laughed, "He may be very powerful, but unlike Vegeta he's an incredibly nice guy – probably the nicest guy you'll ever meet."

"YEAH!" The boys beamed in unison throwing their fists up into the air.

Naomi smiled, very much reassured after learning of this.

~~~~

While Vegeta was training, he sensed a multitude of Ki signals heading his way, all weak and average and he had a good idea to whom they belonged.

"I must be excused." He said.

"Vegeta where-" Bulma was about to ask, getting up.

"Stay here." He said calmly, but stern enough to bottom-line his command.

Bulma sighed and sat back down.

Vegeta was wearing an emerald green/silver top and black bottom of one of Master Shing's Kung-Fu uniforms. It had been a trademark for him now. The old master had given him over a dozen sets.

Vegeta looked outside the compound and saw the journalists making their way towards it. It was just as Bulma had predicted. After they were a far enough distance from the compound he stepped outside.

They all began flashing their cameras at him from a safe distance. The repeated flashes of light were really hurting his eyes and he couldn't stand it much longer, so he snapped. His eyes shined purple for a moment and as that happened every single camera exploded on the spot, before his eyes returned to normal.

The cameramen were completely at a loss. What on Earth was that? How could anyone have done that? Was this beast some kind of magician?

"Your annoying contraptions were my first targets!" He snarled at them, baring his fangs in an absolute villainous manner, which struck a deep sense of terror into their hearts, "Unless you want to be the next, I suggest you leave now and never return!"

The journalists slowly began moving backwards.

"LEAVE!" Vegeta snarled, slightly flaring his Ki, to the extent that the ground beneath him shook. Panic had completely overtaken them and the journalists quickly fled the scene. No amount of money was worth dying for. This beast was not someone they could tangle with and come out alive. They knew that much. Losing their cameras was one thing, but they'd rather not lose their lives any time soon.

Vegeta returned to the breakfast table, sat back in his seat next to Bulma's and continued enjoying Mrs. Brief's delectable breakfast. Dr. Brief soon walked in, not looking too impressed, as he was holding the newspaper.

He placed it on the dining table so it was facing Bulma and Vegeta.

"Would the two of you mind explaining?" He asked, abruptly, narrowing his eyes at the pair.

"I knew it." Bulma sighed despondently. "These goddamn journalists and their garbage."

"Vegeta, just what're were you doing to that woman?" He asked.

"She threatened Bulma and I warned her not to." He answered, "Then I let her go and she fled."

Dr. Brief took a sigh of relief. So that's all it was. Vegeta was never one to lie. Bulma smiled at him, realizing that that was the first time he'd said her name.

"Vegeta, you have to be careful." The good doctor said, "This sort of thing attracts attention and-"

"If you're worried about the journalists, they've been taken care of." He interrupted the old man, smirking.

Bulma's smile changed into a gape, her gaze still fixed on Vegeta.

"Vegeta, what did you-" She was about to ask, but was interrupted.

"I never go back on my word…" He said, "No one's hurt or killed in anyway - although they probably do regret having had the nerve to come here…"

"So… uh… how did you deal with them?" Dr. Brief asked, now taking his seat.

"I destroyed those stupid cameras of there's and said that if they didn't leave, they'd be next…" He answered, "Naturally, they fled like the cowards they are."

Dr. Brief slowly nodded his head.

Bulma giggled a little.

"Wow Vegeta…" She said, draping her arm around his shoulder, "I think you taught those annoying nosy pricks a good lesson… I'm glad you did."

"Bulma?" Asked a stunned Dr. Brief. That's not what he expected from his daughter.

"Don't worry dad." She said, "Vegeta promised he wouldn't hurt anyone."

Vegeta just drifted away from the conversation now and continued enjoying his meal.

Dr. Brief took a moment to contemplate her words.

"Yes, but…" He began speaking, but couldn't think of any counter-arguments. Perhaps making threats wasn't so bad as long as he wouldn't carry them out and if it did a fine job at keeping the media away, he wouldn't complain. He sighed. "You're probably right."

"You know, I think it's very admirable that you're so protective of Bulma…" Mrs. Brief said, "You're both just so lovely together."

Vegeta didn't even bother replying, focusing his attention entirely on his food. A thought suddenly hit Bulma. She remembered.

'Wait, Vegeta.' She spoke mentally, 'Do we tell my parents?'

Vegeta heard her voice in his head. He immediately realized what she was talking about.

'Not yet.' He said, 'We still need to discuss a few things, then we'll tell them.'

'Alright.' Bulma agreed.

After breakfast was over Vegeta made his way to the backyard, Bulma hot on his heels.

They sat down next to each other on a concrete pavement.

"So, what is it Vegeta?" Bulma asked, snaking an arm around his shoulder.

"There are so many questions…" He answered, "I just don't know where to begin."

"Just take your time…" She replied after a while, "Think it over for a while… I'll be right here."

"Hn." Vegeta responded, closing his eyes and focusing his mind and thoughts.

After a few moments, Vegeta's eyes snapped open again.

"I still have to train for the androids…" He said, "I might not have time to help you raise the child."

Bulma kissed his cheek and smiled.

"It's alright Vegeta…" She said, "Whatever little amount of time you can spare is fine with me… After the androids are defeated we can raise it together."

"But what if I-"

"You won't…" Bulma interrupted, frowning. "The androids will fall. This child won't grow up in a world like the one that boy from the future came from… He'll have you in his life and everyone else… I just know it… Besides, you told me that you felt a new power within you. Just keep training hard, Vegeta. I'll be there to support you with whatever you need it, okay?"

Vegeta sighed in relief. Her faith in him always uplifted his spirits.

"Hn." He said. He thought for a moment. "But we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"I'll get a test in a few months and we'll find out then…" Bulma replied. "Either way, it's our child… What difference does it make?"

"I don't know…" Answered Vegeta, "But I do want it to be strong."

Bulma stroked his hair.

"It has your blood…" She reassured, "The blood of a Saiyan Prince. Of course it'll be strong."

Vegeta smirked at her.

"Yes…" He simply said. After a moment he spoke, "Tell only your parents and make sure no one else knows or finds out… I might tell Kakarot when we spar again, but that's about it."

Bulma smiled at him.

"Sure thing."

"It's your job to figure out when and how to tell them …" Vegeta said, "As for me, I'm going to continue my mind training for now, so keep working on my gravity chamber."

"No problem, Vegeta." Bulma said. She kissed his lips and went inside to her lab. While working on her gravity chamber, she kept trying to figure out how she would break the news to her parents. She wasn't in any rush, of course. Whether she told them today or in a week, it didn't really matter, but she wanted the pressure to just go away. She continued working and after a few hours the doorbell rang. She ignored it, knowing her mother would answer.

~~~~

Earlier on, Vegeta had sensed the high power level making it's way towards the compound. It was him… the scar-faced warrior. He knew that scar-face was no threat to Bulma or her family… After all, he didn't even do anything when she slapped him in the face and he'd seen that had happen quite frequently in the past. Despite his flaws, weaknesses and the fact that he was too cocky for his own good, scar-face had never physically harmed Bulma and he highly doubted that he ever would. However, he still wanted to find out why he was here. So, as he did just over three weeks prior, he dropped his power level down near 0 and found a hidden spot near the front door. Of course, he'd always shut off his mental link with Bulma before training, so she couldn't hear these thoughts.

"Oh, hi Yamcha darling. How are you darling?" Mrs. Brief beamed. "It's been such a long time, honey…"

Despite the fact that the ditzy woman much preferred the relationship between Bulma and Vegeta to the one her daughter previously had with Yamcha, she had still known him for the longest time and had really appreciated friendly company, such as his.

Yamcha was wearing a tropical Hawaiian shirt and olive green cargo pants with white sneakers.

"Hi, Mrs. Brief…" Yamcha said, scratching the back of his head and laughing in that goofy manner of his, "I'm fine, you know… I just came to visit Bulma."

Vegeta scoffed inwardly as he noticed the bouquet of roses he was holding in his hand. His guess was that he might have been trying to win her back. He laughed on the inside. Now this, he'd have to see.

"Oh, she's in her lab, dear." Mrs. Brief replied.

'Scar-face… Incoming.' Vegeta said to Bulma, opening up his mental link.

Bulma heard these thoughts. Yamcha was coming her way? Dammit, she had too much to deal with right now and he was the last person on her mind. She sighed in exasperation, still dressed in her lab attire.

As Yamcha was making his way to the lab, Bulma met him halfway. Before he could open his mouth, Bulma spoke.

"Yamcha, why're you here?" She asked, in an irritated manner.

Yamcha hardly expected her to speak to him in such a manner, at least not from the outset. He sighed in defeat.

"Here, Bulma…" He handed her the flowers.

While Bulma did love roses, she just wasn't in the mood right now. She took the bouquet and placed them on a side table nearby, before returning to her spot.

"Yamcha… listen…" She said, "I'm really busy and I don't have time for this right now."

Vegeta was nearby listening to everything. He was laughing on the inside, seeing Bulma do her very best to drive away her pitiful ex.

"Bulma…" Yamcha said, before sighing, "That's not why I'm here…"

Bulma was somewhat intrigued hearing this.

"Oh… So, why are you here then?"

Yamcha groaned. He really didn't want to have to do this, but he felt he had no choice. He pulled out a newspaper from under his shirt and handed it to Bulma.

Bulma rolled her eyes when she saw it. She'd already seen the newspaper earlier that morning during breakfast.

"This is why you're here?" She asked, in disbelief.

"Bulma… I'm just… worried about you." He confessed, "I just want you to be safe."

"Tell me Yamcha…" She said, then put the newspaper in front of his face and pointed to the picture on the front cover. "Just what do you think this means?"

"I… uh… I'm not sure." He said. He was completely at a loss.

"Exactly… You don't… So tell me, why're you here again?" She said.

"Look… I don't know if it's safe… for you." He said.

"What… Vegeta?" She asked, "I'm always safe with him. He's never hurt me in his life and he never will… If you want to know the truth, those girls were trying to flirt with him. I told them to back off and the one in the picture he's grabbing threatened me and cussed me out… He wasn't too happy about it and so, you know… But he never hurt or killed anyone."

Yamcha was in a state of utter disbelief. So that was the story? Vegeta was defending her? But why would he do that? He looked at Bulma incredulously. They couldn't possibly be…

"Well… are we done, Yamcha?" She asked.

Out of nowhere, Vegeta appeared next to Bulma. She gasped and was about to fall backwards, but his tail grabbed her waist and brought her back into position. He was still wearing his Kung-Fu uniform.

"V-V-Vegeta?" Yamcha spoke.

"Scar-face." Vegeta greeted, smirking.

"Y-You h-h-heard?" He asked. He didn't look too thrilled to see the Saiyan Prince right about now.

Vegeta nodded.

"Vegeta… What are you doing here?" Bulma asked, completely confused. Where on Earth had he come from?

Vegeta couldn't help himself as he draped his arm around Bulma's neck.

"Hey, what are you doing to Bulma?!" Yamcha demanded.

Luckily for them, Mrs. Brief wasn't within hearing distance, nor was Dr. Brief, who was working in his lab on that project of his.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the scar-faced warrior before instinctively placing his free hand on Bulma's belly. She gasped and felt butterflies in her stomach.

Yamcha couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was no way it could be true, could it?

"Hey, get your hands off-"

Yamcha stopped mid-sentence upon seeing Vegeta's next move. What he did caught both Bulma and Yamcha off guard. He bent down and placed his face on her belly, whilst embracing her around the waist. She gasped again and her eyes widened.

"Get my hands off what?" He asked in a calm voice, "My woman and my child?"

Yamcha was frozen stiff. What did he just say? He must've misheard. There was no way he said that. This was completely impossible.

Bulma was stunned at what she'd just heard Vegeta say. Why would he so openly confess something like that? Vegeta wrapped his tail around her lower leg. Soon afterwards she smiled warmly, having collected herself while looking down at him. She began caressing his cheek with her hand. She felt his love and protectiveness yet again.

Yamcha was completely at a loss. He'd seen it all now. Bulma and Vegeta were having a moment… right in front of his face. Was this some sort of bad joke or what? No, it wasn't. He saw the look on Bulma's face. It made him burn with resentment. He could see right through her. She was happy. He'd never seen her this happy before in his life. He'd never ever gotten her to smile so warmly and affectionately before and he'd been with her for about 15 years. He'd never seen her look so… beautiful, ever before – even when she was in her youth. He then turned towards Vegeta, whose eyes were closed. He was letting her caress his face like that. His body looked calm, relaxed and soothed. He almost looked… at peace. She and Vegeta were… together.

Vegeta just didn't care anymore. She was his and the presence of inferior warriors like scar-face no longer mattered to him. Bulma continued caressing his cheek with her hand.

Yamcha was completely heartbroken and devastated from inside. He saw the proof right in front of him… If he didn't know it before, he did now. Bulma was lost to him… forever. She belonged to Vegeta now and what made it worse was that she was happy with him – happier than he'd ever seen her before. What could the Saiyan Prince give her that he couldn't?

"B-B-B-Bulma…" Yamcha just couldn't say anymore.

Bulma turned to face him. She frowned as she spoke.

"What he says is true Yamcha." She said, "I'm his… and he's mine… for good… And yes… I'm carrying his child."

Yamcha looked like he'd just been struck by lightning. After a moment he spoke.

"H-h-how l-l-long h-have y-you b-b-been t-together?" He asked.

Bulma considered the question for a moment.

"Since Friday, last week." She answered, choosing the day they had bonded together.

Yamcha closed his eyes and focused his mind. After a few moments, he had sensed it. She wasn't lying. He sensed the faint Ki signal of a Saiyan other than Vegeta's and it was inside her. It was faint but he could tell that it was similar to Vegeta's. Any hopes and dreams he had of ever having his childhood sweetheart back were completely shattered. He was devastated. He had always dreamed of her having a child… but not this way. He wanted for her to bear his child, not anyone else's, especially not Vegeta's. He felt sick to the very core.

Bulma saw the look of despondence on his face. As he turned around, about to leave, Vegeta had gotten up from his spot and draped his arm around her shoulder once again. She smiled at him and soon turned to Yamcha, who was leaving and was a fair distance away.

"Yamcha wait!" She exclaimed.

Yamcha turned around, looking at the ground dejectedly.

"What is it, Bulma?" He asked, sighing, not having what it took to look her in the eye… He just couldn't. He'd never felt worse in his life. He'd taken Bulma for granted and paid the ultimate price for it.

"Could you please come back here?" She asked pleadingly. Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.

"It's all right Vegeta… He's still my friend." She said in a soft tone, so only he could hear.

Vegeta slightly groaned, but otherwise didn't really mind. Her choice of friends was her own, after all – he didn't necessarily have to like them.

Yamcha walked back over to her and stopped about three yards away.

"Yamcha… I still want to be your friend…" She said.

Yamcha then looked up at her. He was still speechless, but somewhat relieved after hearing that.

"There's no reason to be glum Yamcha." She said, "I forgive you for what you did… You never did it before and I know you only did it that time because you care about Naomi… If you'd open your eyes you'd realize that we weren't meant to be… Naomi needs you… I don't. I have Vegeta… He's the only one I truly want."

Yamcha was surprised at what she had just said. Did she really just say that? She wanted him and Naomi to be together? Never in a million years would he have imagined that.

"Are you sure about this Bulma?" He said and then glanced at Vegeta momentarily. "About… him?"

He just didn't feel like saying his name and the poison in his voice was evident as he uttered the word 'him'.

"He… has a name… It's Vegeta and I'm absolutely certain about this." She answered, narrowing her eyes and placing emphasis on her first word, "It may be hard on you for a while, but just let it go… I did… and I'm happier with Vegeta than I've been all my life."

Yamcha sighed and looked down at the floor in thought for a minute, before looking back up.

"Fine, Bulma…" He said. "If that's truly what you want."

After a moment, another thought hit Yamcha. He didn't feel like speaking to Vegeta, but he felt that he needed to address it.

"By the way, Vegeta…" He spoke, looking towards him, "I was wondering about your tail and uniform…"

Vegeta groaned as he explained everything as briefly as possible, while of course omitting the detail of the new power he was working on drawing out.

"Oh, I see…" Yamcha said. For some reason the scar-faced warrior felt a little better now. "Well… I guess I'll leave you two alone… Goodbye Bulma."

Yamcha put his hand forward for her to shake. Bulma smiled warmly at him and placed both her hands around his.

"Goodbye Yamcha…" She said sincerely, "I wish you the best…"

"You too…" He smiled back at her, "And if at any time you need help with the child when no one else is around, don't hesitate to ask me, all right?"

Vegeta was stunned at his words. After all that, he was still willing to help her take care of his child, if ever needed. He thought scar-face would've hated the child and seen it as some sort of demon spawn, since it belonged to him. He hated to admit it, but his enmity towards the weaker warrior now dwindled to a large degree, though he wouldn't say it.

Yamcha turned towards Vegeta. Vegeta instinctively nodded his head to him slightly out of respect. Yamcha was astounded at such a show of respect, but responded in kind, slightly smiling as he did so.

"Hey guys, lunch is ready!" Exclaimed the ditzy blonde woman, who'd just come inside.

Everyone jumped at her abrupt entrance. How long was she there? Did she hear about the child? No, that's impossible. If she did, she'd start spouting tons of sentimental garbage to Bulma and Vegeta and blabber on about how delighted she was at the prospect of finally being a grandmother.

"Yamcha… Have lunch with us." Bulma requested her ex, smiling.

Yamcha smiled back.

"Sure thing, Bulma."

Mrs. Brief made her usual exquisite meals.

They were about half-way eating when a thought suddenly hit Yamcha.

"Bulma, do your parents know?" He asked, a little too loud.

"Know what, my boy?" Asked Dr. Brief. Scratch meowed on his shoulder.

Bulma froze and turned to Vegeta.

Vegeta just shrugged his shoulder. Telling her parents was her own business. He had already given her his consent to do so.

She sighed and turned to her father.

Her mother saw them staring at one-another.

"What's happening, dear?" She asked Bulma.

"Vegeta and I… we're…" She began, "I'm… uh…"

"Come on dear… spit it out already." Dr. Brief implored.

Bulma sighed again.

"I'm carrying Vegeta's child." She replied quickly.

Both elder Briefs' eyes widened. They were completely startled by this revelation.

Dr. Brief collected himself first and smiled.

"That's wonderful news honey!" He exclaimed, "I'm really happy for you… for all of us."

Mrs. Brief, as expected, prattled on about how excited she was and how delightful it would be to finally be a grandmother and all the rest of it.

By the end of lunch, Bulma made Yamcha promise not to let this information out to anyone else, but she did allow him to keep it between he and Puar, since the two of them were practically best friends. She assured him that they'd let them know in due time. Of course Vegeta was inclined to tell his rival about the news, once they sparred again.

(A/N: Not a Yamcha hater, so too bad… Get over it, Yamcha-hating isn't all there is to B/V stories – very often it's sad, uncharacteristic and outright pathetic).


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Trouble

Over the next several days Vegeta had focused on heightening Bulma's stamina. He pushed her to go far beyond any limits she had previously. Whenever she suffered fatigue, he would force her to go on until he was satisfied. She wasn't too happy about it initially, but after just a few days, she began getting accustomed to it. Her speed, stamina, durability, endurance and balance had all increased greatly. Until now he had not taught her any fighting techniques, still waiting for her to reach a specific level before doing so.

He ran long distances with her, did long sets of varying push-ups, e.g. palms outward, palms inward, palms in the middle, one handed etc., sit-ups, lunges, chin-ups, pull ups and a range of other exercises with her, which helped whip her into shape surprisingly fast. He also helped strengthen her balance by making her stand on one leg for long time periods. He absolutely refused to allow her to give up. Whenever she complained or felt fatigued or exasperated, he'd constantly remind her who she was - the Princess of the Saiyan race. Each morning, he'd spend about 3 hours training her.

About three days into their training, the gravity machine was finally complete and he was able to pull off some much needed training, whenever he had the free time. Two days later Bulma had also readied for him a superior set of training bots, better than any built before. These new ones had greater speed and durability than their predecessors and were also more tensile. He could feel his energy surging to new heights very quickly. He was sure that his base power was now far superior to that of his rival. Any gains the younger Saiyan might have made would be offset by the powers he gained as a result of digging into the massive well of primal energy brewing within him. This was his power. Once he reached Super Saiyan, there would practically be no limits to it. He would be the one to destroy the androids and afterwards relish his moment of glory when he would defeat his rival once and for all and take his rightful place as the most powerful warrior in the Universe. He would live with his woman and raise their child. This planet was now his and he would defend it with all his might. He lost his one planet and he would not lose this one too.

~~~~

It was Saturday evening. Bulma was spending her evening at Naomi's.

"So, that man in the newspaper Yamcha told me about…" Naomi asked, "He's the one right… The guy you were talking about?"

Bulma blushed a little, remembering how protective her Prince was.

"Yeah…" She answered.

"Bulma…" Naomi looked at her in askance.

Bulma narrowed her eyes at her friend, upon seeing the look on her face.

"What?" She asked, a hint of sternness in her tone.

"Just… be careful." Naomi relented.

Bulma sighed in exasperation, but then calmed down a little.

"Look Naomi…" She said, "It's not what the newspapers make it look like… He's not some beast or monster. He would never hurt me. He's just… severely over-protective."

Naomi contemplated her words.

"Oh I see…" She replied. She didn't like causing Bulma any irritation. "So, if you don't mind me asking… what did happen?"

Bulma explained the situation to her.

"Oh, I get what you're saying…" She said, "Yamcha did tell us that Vegeta had a tragic past, so I guess it makes sense that he feels the need to protect you, since you're helping him overcome it…"

"Yamcha told you that?" Bulma asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

Naomi nodded her head. After a while, she spoke.

"By the way… I asked Yamcha to visit you that day I read that newspaper article." She said.

"You asked him to do that?" Bulma asked, "He never told me that… I assumed he just came of his own accord."

"No… Didn't he tell you?"

Bulma shook her head.

"I'm guessing he didn't want you involved." Bulma said, "He might have felt that it would damage our friendship."

Naomi smiled at her.

"So… how did it go?" She asked.

"Well, we're on good terms now and we're friends again." Bulma replied, "I'm glad you asked him to visit. I feel a lot better now that I've resolved things with him… By the way, how are you and Yamcha getting along?"

"Oh, we're good…" Naomi said, "We get to talk here and there but he spends the majority of his time with the children. Jethro and Hunter are much stronger than before, I've noticed… By the way, you look kind of different yourself… in some way."

Bulma laughed a little.

"Yeah… I kind of did some training myself." She said, "I was long overdue, as far as exercise went."

"Oh, now I see…" Naomi replied, "But to develop that much since I last saw you… seems kind of crazy, considering your occupation as Vice President and all."

Bulma chuckled.

"Yeah… Vegeta never goes easy on me…" She said, "But I guess I like it better that way."

"Vegeta trains you?"

"Yeah…"

"I've heard he's ridiculously powerful…" Naomi said, "At least that's what Yamcha and the boys told me."

"Yeah… He is…" She said, "By the way, you ever consider taking up martial arts or anything?"

"I can't…" Naomi sighed, "You see, I have lung condition… I can only push myself so far without being fatally wounded in some way."

Bulma looked at her, disheartened, after having heard that.

"It's okay, Bulma." She said, smiling, "I'm okay with it… I've always learned to accept my situation as it is… Besides, I can still do some light exercises here and there in the gym. Staying healthy and having a good shape is really all that matters to me."

"Wow… It's amazing how strong-willed you are." Said Bulma.

The children were off engaging in their own activities during that time.

At dinnertime, Jethro, Hunter and Jasmine noticed that they had company once again. As they were about to speak during dinner, Naomi shook her head, as if to tell them not to talk while eating. She was very strict when it came to such rules.

After dinner, however, the silence was broken.

"So Bulma…" Hunter began asking, "This Vegeta guy… Yamcha said he lives with you… Is that true?"

Bulma smiled at him and nodded her head.

"Yamcha said he used to a bad guy." Jethro began, "But he said that you were trying to help him with his past or something."

"Yeah… He was a bad guy, but not anymore." She said.

"We really wanted to meet him, but Yamcha forbade us." Hunter said, furrowing his eyebrows as he remembered, "Yamcha said he's insanely powerful and all… We saw him on television when he knocked out all those guys at once."

"Yeah he is…" Bulma said, "You're welcome to come visit my home at Capsule Corporation whenever you want, but you see… Vegeta's kind of asocial, except around the few people he trusts."

"Asocial, what's that?" Asked Jasmine. She too had been filled in by her siblings about what was happening and who Vegeta was.

"It means, he doesn't like associating with others, except for people he really knows…" She said.

"How come?" Jethro asked.

"Well, with his history and all…" Bulma began answering, "It's just hard for him to trust people."

"But why?" Hunter asked, "No one can hurt him or anything… definitely not us."

Bulma laughed a little and ruffled the young boy's hair.

"Well, when you've been betrayed by people you trust and lost everyone that matters to you, it's kind of hard to trust anyone…" She replied, "But more so, he's just always busy training all day long. He rarely makes time for anyone else… Other than me of course."

Jethro furrowed his brows.

"What?" He asked, "So you and him are… together?"

"Yeah… but…" Bulma began, "We spend most of our day training…"

"What about your nights?" Asked Jasmine.

Bulma blushed a deep shade of red.

"Well… that's for grown-ups to know." She answered, laughing and scratching the back of her head abashedly.

"Not really…" Jethro said, "I learned about it at school recently. All that sex stuff and everything… I don't really understand it though. Makes no sense if you ask me."

"Jethro that's enough!" Berated Naomi, her face flushed.

"What's sex?" Asked Jasmine.

Hunter snickered under his breath.

"You'll find out about it when you're older." Answered Bulma sheepishly.

Naomi put a hand on her face, shaking her head in response to her brothers' behavior.

"Hey, so since you train, are you strong?" Asked Hunter.

"Not really." Bulma said, "So far Vegeta hasn't taught me any fighting moves. He's helped me get into shape and increase my speed, endurance and durability… He said that once those reach a specific level, he can move on to teaching me how to fight."

"Yamcha's kind of the same with us…" Grumbled Jethro, "He teaches us a few fighting techniques, but mainly focuses on other things… But it has helped a lot. We're much stronger and faster than we were before. Most of the grown-ups at the dojo can barely even touch us whenever we spar, even the black belts. He says that soon he'll move on to teaching us some more of his fighting techniques. I've seen his Wolf Fang Fist move – that's pretty damn awesome."

Bulma laughed – it had been years since she had seen that move.

"Yeah, Yamcha's a very strong fighter…" Bulma said, "You should follow his advice. You'll learn a lot from him."

"I thought you hated him…" Said Jethro.

"No kid…" Bulma said, "Not anymore… We've made our peace now. We've been friends for the longest time."

There was a moment of silence before it was broken.

"Well, since you've seen Yamcha fight and all…" Hunter began asking. "And you know all these super-strong guys, shouldn't you know a few moves?"

"Well… You see." Bulma began explaining, "Every time I did see them fight they moved way too fast for me to actually follow. What's more, I spent a lot of time working on projects for Capsule Corporation… I've always been more of a scientist than a fighter… But now that I'm with Vegeta and all, that's kind of changing… Truth is, I am really looking forward to learning some new techniques from him and all."

"God! That sounds so cool." Jethro said. "If he does teach you, do you think you can show us and maybe we can spar a little or something?"

Bulma laughed and smiled at the boy.

"Maybe…" She said, "But I'd have to get his permission first."

"Why would you have to do that?" Naomi asked curiously.

"Well you see… He trusts me with basically everything…" She replied, "And like I said, winning his trust over wasn't an easy task."

"Hey Bulma…" Jethro spoke, "Yamcha said the strongest guy on the planet's someone named Goku… He said he's one of his best friends and that he's the only person who can defeat Vegeta."

"Yeah… Goku's a great friend of mine." Bulma said, "I've known him since he was 11 years old… Goku and Vegeta did spar each other recently. I didn't get a chance to see, but the others told that it was one of the most brutal battles they'd ever seen."

All four siblings looked at Bulma in astonishment. A battle like that really would have to be incredible. The two strongest fighters in the world battling each other - who wouldn't want to see that?

"S-S-So wh-who won?" Asked Jethro, breaking the long silence.

"Well they ended up knocking each other out and they were both left badly wounded." Bulma answered.

"Wow, that's incredible!" Exclaimed Hunter, "I wished I could've seen it!"

"Careful what you wish for kid…" Bulma said, "When those two fight, you don't want to be anywhere near them, trust me… Their powers are far beyond anything you or I can imagine and since all they do is train, they keep getting even stronger."

"Wow…" Jethro said, "It all sounds so amazing…"

"They're both amazing guys, trust me…" Bulma said. "Maybe sometime we can all get together at Kame House and you'll get a chance to meet them…"

"Kame House?" Hunter asked, "That's where Yamcha said he trained."

"Yeah, he did in the beginning…" Bulma said, "But he and the others kept advancing to greater levels as their training went along."

"Wow… I can't wait to meet those two!" Jethro beamed.

"By the way, don't share anything you learn from Yamcha with anyone else, okay?" Bulma requested, "It's best that powers like his only remain known to a select few people otherwise really bad things can happen."

"Yeah, don't worry about that, Yamcha already told us." Hunter reassured, "We won't tell anyone."

Bulma and her hosts continued talking for a long while and eventually Bulma left, bidding farewell to the family. It was around 8:30 pm.

About fifteen minutes into her drive home, Bulma's car broke down. Luckily it was on a quiet, almost desolate area, where there was no incoming or outgoing traffic… especially at this time.

"Oh dammit!" She groused, "Why now?!"

She sighed in exasperation. Oh well, she always loved a challenge. She stepped outside to check the car's engine. Whilst checking it, she heard footsteps approaching her. She turned around and saw a tall, bald, well-built man with and malign grin plastered on his face. He was wearing a black t-shirt and grey track pants.

As he came near her, Bulma took off her heels as fast as she could and ran away barefoot with all the speed she could muster. He laughed evilly as he chased in pursuit.

'VEGETA! PLEASE HELP!' She cried out mentally, 'SOMEONE'S TRYING TO HURT ME!'

Who was she kidding? Vegeta always shut off his mental link during training. But she had to do something. The hoodlum was gaining on her and she didn't have much time.

She suddenly found a narrow alleyway and instinctively ran straight inside. Luckily for her it was open on the other end. Perhaps if she dodged him a couple more times, she'd be able to find an appropriate hiding spot and lose him for good.

Unfortunately for her, the man was much faster than she'd imagined. Despite having gained a good few seconds on him, via her crafty maneuver, the man quickly caught up to her soon enough and grabbed her hand.

She tried punching him in the face, but he easily caught her fist. This guy was no pushover. He knew his stuff.

The man grabbed her pink halter-top and ripped it open easily. Bulma tried screaming, but the man quickly back fisted her jaw before she could. His power was phenomenal. She fell to the ground. Her lip was bloodied and tears glistened her eyes.

She urged Vegeta to rescue her, shouting at him mentally, over and over again, but she had little hope of getting through to him. This was horrible. She had a child in her womb, Vegeta's child. She couldn't let anything happen to her, for his sake.

The man bent down and easily ripped off her pink nylon skirt, pulling it from underneath her. As swiftly as she could she brought her knee up to his neck, thrashing underneath his chin with all her might. He simply turned his attention to her grinning evilly.

"That's all you've got?!" He spoke in his harsh, crude, low-pitched voice, before crawling on top of her, straddling her legs.

He grabbed her underwear and ripped it easily from one side and then the other side, before likewise pulling it out from underneath her. She was terrified. This had never happened to her before. She was going to be raped. Her heart was pounding against her chest. She tried resisting and fighting back but it was to no avail. Her attacker was much too powerful for her.

He moved onto her bra and ripped it apart, pulling it from underneath her. Bulma was completely naked, with a malevolent savage on top of her about to do God-knows-what. No, she wouldn't let it happen. She had to do something. She didn't belong to this barbarian. She belonged to her Prince and to her Prince alone. She made a fist with her thumb facing outwards and as quickly as she could, she struck her thumb directly into his right eye. Her aim was spot on, which was surprising considering the horrifying situation and the state of panic she was in.

"AAARRRRGGGGHHHH! MY EYE!" He screamed in agony, barely able to concentrate on anything else.

As he shut his eyes and brought both hands towards his wounded eye, Bulma was able to sneak her body out from underneath him. This wasn't as difficult as it should have been, since he was only loosely straddling her. She still couldn't get her hopes up. Maybe all she had managed to do was buy time.

Bulma continued running, totally naked and alone in a desolate place with a filthy disgusting rapist in her pursuit.

'VEGETA PLEASE! I NEED YOU!' She beseeched, tears falling from her face and her mouth still bloodied, 'PLEASE HELP!'

Within a few moments the attacker pulled himself together and chased after his prey. She would pay dearly for having the nerve to strike him. He would take her like he never took anyone else before.

He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders from behind, before using his leg to sweep her to the floor. She landed on the ground, but avoided banging her head too hard. She was trying her best to remain conscious, for her sake, for her child's sake and for Vegeta's sake, but there was little to no hope left. The man straddled her waist and grabbed her around the throat with one hand, so she couldn't scream. She had luckily managed to escape before, but now it didn't seem likely. She would be raped and perhaps killed, along with her child. Vegeta would be in tatters and she could do nothing to stop it. Tears continued flowing from her eyes, as she sobbed and tried her best to push him off, but it was to no avail. He was much too powerful for her.

~~~~


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40: On the brink

Earlier on:

Vegeta was training like never before, wearing a blue Saiyan bodysuit with gloves and boots, but no armor. The top of the suit, however, was more like a singlet in contrast to his previous bodysuit, which covered his entire torso and arms (A/N: The same as the uniform he wears in the Buu saga).

During the middle of his training in the gravity chamber, a voice began attacking his mind. He tried his best to brush it out, but he could feel it eating away on the edge of his mind, where his mental barriers were erected, as if it was trying to break through. This was impossible. He'd trained so hard under Master Shing and had gained a far greater sense of mental control, yet he was now unable to keep this voice away from him. Nothing should've been able to attack his mental walls, let alone have the potential to penetrate them.

A little while later, he gave in. He couldn't continue training like this.

He shut down the gravity console and released his mental barriers. The moment he did, he jumped. He had never heard anything quite so loud before… It was his woman… She was desperately in need of help… Someone was attacking her.

He quickly closed his mental barriers, so he could concentrate. He left the gravity chamber and focused on her energy signal. Within moments he sensed it out and flew off in her direction. He could sense someone with significantly greater energy closing in on her. He had to stop it.

~~~~

The hoodlum let go of her throat and pinned both her hands to the ground besides her face. He lapped his tongue out and was reaching down towards her face. She turned away as he was doing this but as he neared, she quickly turned back towards him and bit the tip of his tongue as hard as she could.

He was stunned at her move and tried to get free but couldn't. The pain was unbearable. He punched her on the side of the rib cage and for a moment her teeth unclenched, allowing him to pull himself free.

Bulma had tears in her eyes and was having trouble breathing. She was frightened like never before. She had tried her best to escape, but in the end it was to no avail.

The predator raised his hand and snarled at her, completely infuriated more than ever before. Bulma shut her eyes and turned her face away, holding her palms up against her face, with one placed above the other, defensively.

"YOU FUCKING B-"

WHACK!

The man suddenly flew nearly a dozen yards forward.

Bulma opened her eyes and looked up. It was him… He was here. He heard her. He came for her. He sat down next to Bulma and stared malevolently at the attacker.

Bulma immediately wound her arms around him and nuzzled into his chest, sobbing and letting out all her tears. Vegeta hated seeing her in such pain. He began stroking her hair from behind (A/N: Inspired by the following fan-art: art/Fight-for-What-s-Mine-Finished-37014468).

"Oh Vegeta!" She sobbed, "I was so scared. He ripped off all my clothes and he was going to… rape me…"

"Shhhh… You're safe now, my Princess…" Vegeta cooed, while stroking the back of her head with his hand. He kissed the top of her head, trying his utmost to comfort her. "Just relax… No one will hurt you… I promise."

Bulma continued sobbing against his chest, still nuzzled into it.

"Thank you Vegeta…" She cried out softly, "I don't know what I would've done without you…"

After a few moments, Vegeta pulled her back a little to inspect her face more closely, putting his cupped hand gently underneath her chin. She sniffled a few times, as tears continued to escape. He saw the blood on her mouth and a cut lip. He hurt her. That sick bastard hurt his woman. He would suffer greatly for this. Vegeta kissed her on the lips and then got up from his position.

The attacker was heading his way.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME FROM BEHIND WHILE I'M HAVING MY FUN?!" He shouted, though he was having trouble pronouncing due to the wound Bulma inflicted on his tongue.

All the beast could see was red and didn't even bother considering the fact that the person who just thwarted his rape-attempt had sent him flying a great distance with one simple kick.

Vegeta headed towards him, baring his fangs, now elongated more than ever. His Ki was uncontrollably flaring higher and higher. He snarled at him.

"You fucking piece of shit." He spoke in a deceptively calm manner as he neared him. "You hurt my Princess… I'm going to make you wish you were dead. I'm going to break you and hear you scream in agony before I snuff out your vile existence."

The attacker was now starting to shrink back in fear at his mysterious adversary's dangerous tone, threat and elongated fangs. He took a few steps backwards and Vegeta quickly disappeared and reappeared in front of him. He punched him in the solar plexus faster than the eye could see, winding him completely. He then grabbed his arm and broke it from the elbow joint using his forearm. He grabbed the other arm and did likewise. The hoodlum was howling in pain. He'd never suffered such horrible pain before in his life.

He then pushed him lightly, but hard enough to drop him on the ground. Soon afterwards he jumped on him, landing on his kneecaps, breaking both of them. He stepped backwards, off of him and heard him cry out in absolute agony. He grinned evilly at him and pointed his finger towards him, preparing to fire a Ki beam that would finish him off.

"Wait, Vegeta…" Bulma approached him and held him from behind in a warm embrace with her naked body, draping her arms around his neck and pleading. "Don't kill him… Death is too good for a monster like him… He deserves to suffer…"

Vegeta froze at her warm touch. It always worked wonders on him. She kissed him on the cheek.

Vegeta sighed. Perhaps she was right. But he would make sure he could never hurt her again.

"All right…" He agreed.

Bulma smiled and a few tears escaped her eyes as she kissed his shoulder and rested her face on the crook of his neck.

"Thank you so much Vegeta…" She sobbed, "You heard me… I'd given up all hope."

"Hn." He replied. His tone was unusually gentle. Seeing her in such a helpless state had made him lose any bit of sternness towards her. "… Let go for a second. I need to do something."

Bulma sniffled and rubbed her face against his for a while, before letting go.

Vegeta moved forward and stepped hard on the predator's forehead, knocking him out immediately, but not killing him. He knew this one move would cause him permanent brain damage. No one would ever lay a hand on his Princess again.

Bulma gasped when she heard the cracking sound.

"He's alive." Vegeta responded, "… But I made sure he'll never hurt anyone again."

Bulma sighed in relief. She didn't care. That filthy bastard got what he deserved for trying to force himself onto her. Perhaps Vegeta was starting to rub off on her, but then she clearly rubbed off on him too, so it was all right.

Vegeta took off the hoodlum's t-shirt, after moving his motionless arms in the appropriate position.

He came over to Bulma and put the t-shirt over her, covering her body. Since the man was much bigger than her, it was able to cover a significant portion of her legs, reaching down several inches above her knees. It was very loose too, considering how bulky the man was.

Bulma was still traumatized but felt a lot more comfortable with Vegeta around. She smiled at him warmly after he put the shirt over her. He smiled back and embraced her.

She closed her eyes and comforted herself in his warmth. After a few moments, she spoke.

"I'll go call the police." She said, "My phone's still in my car…"

"Hn." Replied Vegeta.

This bastard would suffer permanent brain damage and spend the rest of his life behind bars. It was less than he deserved, as far as he was concerned, but it would suffice.

Vegeta dragged the hoodlum along with him, by his arm, as he followed Bulma towards the car.

When they reached, she got her phone out and called the police. Within minutes they arrived on the scene.

"Hello, Ms. Bulma Brief." A police officer said, coming out of his vehicle with his partner by his side, "I'm Officer Clark and this is my partner, Officer Kent… You reported a rape attempt."

"Yes…" She said, pointing towards her attacker's unconscious body, "He's right here…"

The officer's eyes widened.

"What happened to him?" He asked.

"I happened!" Scowled Vegeta, who was next to Bulma the whole time.

"S-So, wh-who're you?" He asked.

"He's my… uh…" Bulma couldn't think of a word. He wasn't her boyfriend the way Yamcha used to be. No, their relationship was far deeper. They weren't married either by legal terms, but by Saiyan standards they were, although the bond was deeper than human marriage. Finally, she had found something she could use, "We're together."

"O-Oh I see…" Officer Clark said.

"Didn't I see you two in the newspaper?" Officer Kent asked.

"Shut-up and get this over with you idiot!" Vegeta snarled.

The officers cringed at his harsh tone.

"S-S-Sure thing s-s-sir." Said Officer Kent, completely petrified.

Vegeta smirked.

Bulma explained what had taken placed, while Vegeta and the officers listened in. After all was said and done, the perpetrator was taken away to a prison hospital. But nothing could fix his injuries… except perhaps a senzu bean, but there's no way that scumbag could get his hands on one of those.

Bulma capsulized her vehicle.

"Vegeta… can you fly me home?" She didn't want to be away from him. She needed him by his side.

Vegeta nodded. As he flew her, she clung onto him like never before, nuzzling into his neck. He could sense her need for comfort and he would give her whatever he could offer.

"We cannot hide this from your parents…" Vegeta said, "They'll find out one way or another and they do have a right to know."

"Are you sure you want to tell them?" Bulma asked.

"Hn."

He flew at a relatively slow pace, deciding not to make her uncomfortable.

Once they landed at the front door, Vegeta let Bulma down on her feet gently and knocked. She was still firmly clinging on to him.

Once she saw the pair, Mrs. Brief was startled by what Bulma was wearing - some sort of extremely large sized t-shirt… and nothing else. And she had a cut on her lip. Mrs. Brief gasped…

"Bulma… What happened, dear?!" She asked, worriedly.

"We'll talk once we're inside." Vegeta said. "Bring the old man in the living room as well and wait for us. While you're doing that, I'll help clean her up…"

He and Bulma cleaned up in the bathtub, since he knew it would help relax her mind and soothe her – he also bandaged her lip. He helped her change into a pair of topaz silk pajamas as well as a cyan cotton singlet, over a pair of white bra and underwear. He himself changed into a white tank top and blue pants. He threw the predator's shirt out of the balcony windows and as it was flying, he blasted it into nothing. They both put on slippers as they made their way downstairs. Once they were all in the living room, Bulma sat on a couch next to Vegeta, nestling into him. The elder Briefs noticed the bandage on her lip and her state of discomfort.

"What happened?!" Asked a concerned Dr. Brief.

"A man tried to… attack her…" Vegeta answered. Mrs. Brief let out a gasp and Vegeta looked at her in warning, as if silently telling her not to interrupt him, before proceeding. "I can tell she fought back quite well, considering how much greater his power was… But he eventually chased her down and ripped off all her clothes. He was trying to force himself onto her… I sensed her Ki signal far off from the compound and flew there immediately… I got the attacker off of her before he could do anything. He's been taken care off and he's now in a prison hospital."

Bulma sniffled and sobbed as silently as she could against Vegeta's chest as he recounted the story. Vegeta once again soothed her by rubbing her back up and down and kissing her on top of the head.

Mrs. Brief also began sniffling and crying as she heard the story, while Dr. Brief, though worried while hearing the tale, sighed in relief after learning that the Saiyan Prince had come to Bulma's aid in time.

Vegeta continued coddling her and Dr. Brief smiled, seeing how protective he was towards his daughter. He was sure of it now. Vegeta was the right one for her – he was absolutely perfect for her.

Mrs. Brief put a hand on Vegeta shoulder.

"Thanks for saving Bulma, dear…" She said, smiling as tears fell from her eyes, "You're a true hero."

Vegeta shrugged his shoulders, but took comfort in the fact that her parents were relieved to hear that everything had gone well.

"Yes thank you Vegeta… We owe you everything…" Dr. Brief said, "Bulma means the world to us and we would never want her hurt."

"It's fine." He said, sick of being complimented all the time. As far as he was concerned, he was simply fulfilling his duty to his woman. "… If she wasn't able to stall him for a little while, it may have been worse."

A little while later, the two made their way to her room, which was now technically their room. Bulma wanted nothing more than to sleep in his arms.

Vegeta sensing her tiredness and need for rest, laid her on the bed gently. He himself lay down and held her in a sweetheart's cradle and wrapped his tail around her waist. Although more relaxed than before, Vegeta could still feel his woman slightly trembling as she nuzzled onto him. Getting over a dreadful experience like that wasn't an easy task.

"I won't train tomorrow…" Vegeta said.

Bulma gasped in surprise and moved upwards to look at him. He turned towards her and she saw the concern in his onyx eyes. She smiled at him.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

"Hn." He replied.

"Thanks Vegeta…" She said, before moving back down nuzzling back onto his chest. He felt a lot more comfortable from seeing her relaxed this way.

His warmth and security was her remedy for any and all trouble she faced. The two fell asleep shortly afterwards.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Higher levels

After the rape attempt, Vegeta spent the entire next day with Bulma, as promised. Afterwards however, she continued training under Vegeta's wing. He had made her training far more strenuous than ever before. After a week had passed by, he began incorporating basic fighting and defense techniques into her training schedule: various hand strikes and leg strikes, blocking, evading, redirecting an opponent's attack and how to escape a multitude of grips and grapples, introducing a specific number of techniques each day that passed by, while revising those learned previously. Within three weeks, he felt that she had absorbed the essential grasp of every technique he had taught her.

He then removed fitness out of the training schedule, instructing her to do that in her own time, while he continued advancing her fighting techniques and also teaching her how to move with extreme stealth as well as feeling out an opponent's presence and being aware of any signs of impending danger, using her senses (since she hadn't learned the basis behind Ki yet, this was the best alternative for the moment and moreover, relying on sensing Ki signals could be disadvantageous if opponents simply dropped their Ki near 0).

Another two weeks passed by… It was just about a year since Trunks' revelation about the androids and Bulma was six weeks pregnant.

Bulma went to the fridge to grab some orange juice late at night, when the rest of the house was fast asleep, or so she thought. She was dressed in green tourmaline silk pajamas and a lime colored singlet. Just as she was about to open the fridge door, she felt a presence behind her. As the attacker lunged at her, she suddenly disappeared and reappeared behind him at amazing speed. As she attacked him with a high roundhouse kick, the attacker quickly whirled around and blocked it.

"Impressive…" He said.

"Well, I have learned from the best…" She replied.

"Indeed."

He then pulled her flush against him and captured her lips in a deep passionate kiss, while she moved her leg down and wrapped it around his. A furry appendage snaked around her other thigh. She pulled back after a while.

"I did come here for some orange juice, 'Geta…" She said, smiling at him.

Vegeta kissed her once more, before releasing his hold on her, whirling back around, opening the fridge and grabbing the orange juice. He drank some of it directly from the container.

"Hey!" She groused.

Vegeta smirked at her while drinking and after a while stopped.

"Don't worry, there's still plenty left for you and the brat." He teased.

"It's our child, not a brat!" Bulma grumbled. Vegeta still enjoyed teasing her, just as much as he always did.

The Prince chuckled and went over to her. He pulled her head back gently and began feeding her the remaining orange juice, while she held the carton on either side with both hands.

After she was finished, Vegeta threw the carton in a trashcan nearby, without moving from his spot. He then kissed her for a while and placed his hand on her belly, soon afterwards bending down, kissing her belly once and rubbing his face against it. Bulma began stroking his mane.

"Wow… You really love your brat, don't you, 'Geta?" Bulma teased.

"Shut-up woman." He murmured against her belly.

After a while they had returned to bed. The above was one of several occasions where Vegeta had attempted to ambush Bulma. As the days went by, he continued his attempts to attack when least expected, but much of the time, Bulma was able to sense him out and counter – of course he was only using a minute portion of his true abilities, but he was deeply impressed by how quickly she was learning, especially since he made his maneuvers more and more unpredictable each time.

After nearly a week of training, Vegeta felt that it was time to teach Bulma the basis behind Ki and how to manipulate her Ki, in order to reinforce her strength, speed, endurance, agility, durability and versatility. It was Saturday morning, Bulma's day off and nearly seven weeks had passed since conception.

"All right, concentrate deeply and draw out the power you feel within you." Vegeta commanded.

Bulma was concentrating as hard as she could. As usual, during her training, she would wear one of the Kung-Fu uniforms Vegeta was given by Master Shing. This time it was a red/gold top and the usual black pants and shoes. He had decided to give half of them to Bulma. There were a dozen sets, meaning six apiece for the two of them and two of each color (red/gold, green/silver and blue/silver and black pants and shoes). Vegeta's pants all had tail-holes in them of course.

"Do not try and force it." Vegeta said, "Stay relaxed and composed and at the same time focused on the power inside of you."

"Easier said than done…" Bulma groused.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. After a few hours passed, she was finally able to draw out some energy. She stared in marvel at the ball of energy in between her hands for a while.

"I did it!" She exclaimed in triumph and jumped up and down repeatedly, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!"

While she was focusing on doing that, Vegeta was working on his mind-training, but her loud mouth had brought him out of his trance.

"It's about damn time…" He grumbled. While he was impressed, by didn't appreciate being interrupted like that.

"Hey!" Bulma groused, "Give me some credit!"

"Hmmm…" He said, "You should rest and recuperate for the day… I'm guessing you feel exhausted."

"Yeah, I do…" She admitted, her anger all but forgotten, "Not sure why though."

"You're not used to harnessing Ki like that." He replied, "But each time you draw it out, your control over it increases substantially. Do it a couple more times and then you'll be ready to begin learning how to manipulate it to your will."

"God… I can't wait for that…" She said, "Does that means I can use Ki blasts and learn how to fly?"

"Hn."

"Wow… Flying…" She tranced off, "It just sounds so surreal…"

Suddenly, Bulma remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, 'Geta…" She said, "I think I could use some sparring partners, don't you?"

Now it was Vegeta who was hit with a thought. He too hadn't sparred in a while.

"Hmmm…" He said, "I've heard Kakarot's harpy can fight… Maybe you should practice with her."

Bulma laughed hysterically. She still hadn't gotten used to Vegeta's nickname for Chi-Chi. It's no wonder she screamed at him when he ate breakfast at Mount Paozu all those weeks back. Vegeta smirked, after seeing Bulma laugh like that. After she recovered, she spoke.

"Well it is only fitting, I guess…" She said, smiling, "You being rivals with Goku and all…"

"Yes…" Vegeta said, "But Kakarot's no match for me anymore. Without him resorting to using his Super-Saiyan powers or his Kaio-Ken, I can beat him single-handedly, no question… I'm sure of it."

"Really?" Bulma asked. Her eyes widened. She didn't know he'd gotten that much stronger.

"Yes…" He answered, "I've almost fully drawn out the primordial power welled up inside of me… If Kakarot's improved as much as I think he has, my base power far exceeds his."

"Wow, Vegeta…" Bulma stated, still stunned at the revelation, "I just can't wait till you become a Super Saiyan."

Vegeta smirked at her. He always loved the fact that she had so much faith in both him and his abilities.

Another few days passed by and it was Wednesday morning. As usual, the two lovers were training.

"Now, use your Ki to force yourself off the ground." Vegeta said.

It took her a short while to support herself only using her energy. Bulma was doing it. She was floating in the air. It was an unbelievable feeling. She'd never thought she'd be able to accomplish a feat such as this.

"Control it for as long as you can…" Vegeta ordered, "Do not tense yourself… Stay relaxed… Maintain your calm and composure."

Bulma tried doing as he said, but after a few minutes, she felt drained and went back the ground, immediately falling on her knees and hands.

"Sorry, Vegeta…" She said and looked up at him with an apologetic expression on her face, "I was trying my best…"

Vegeta bent down on his knees and grabbed the back of her head as he kissed her. She was surprised by the move. She thought he'd be disappointed with her and tell her how terrible she was, but he didn't. As she kissed back, she felt encouraged by his move and was determined more than ever to further enhance her grasp of Ki.

All of a sudden Vegeta was on top of her, straddling her hips. She gasped when she abruptly found herself in that position. Vegeta brought his face down and kissed her lips. They made out for a while, before Vegeta went downwards and rested his head on her belly. She began stroking his fiery mane.

"I wonder what we'll name this brat…" Vegeta murmured.

"Stop calling it that or you don't get a say!" Bulma replied, somewhat sternly.

"Oh really?" Vegeta asked, "Who says I care?"

"You really don't care what we call the child?" Bulma asked, quite surprised.

"Honestly… no." He replied, before kissing her belly and getting up.

"So what're we going to do now?" Bulma asked.

"Well…" He replied, "Take a few hours to regenerate your energy and when it's nighttime, keep practicing on controlling it."

"All right…" Bulma smiled at him and then got up to head to her lab. Thankfully for her, Vegeta didn't destroy the training bots nearly as often as he did before and the gravity machine remained perfectly intact, without her having to go and fix it every so often. He had much better control now when he trained. His heart and mind were clear and focused like never before. This was great for her, since she was able to quickly catch up with everything on work and even move ahead of schedule with her newest projects, leaving her more time to focus on her training. These were the best days of her life. Vegeta was the best thing that had ever happened to her.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Rematch

Over a week passed by. It was Saturday morning and nearly nine weeks had passed since conception. Bulma had finished her training session with Vegeta. A little while later, Master Roshi had invited the gang over for an afternoon lunch at 3:00 pm at Kame House. The first thing Bulma asked was if she could invite over Naomi and her siblings, since she had kind of promised them that she would. The old master agreed. She had also told him that she and Yamcha had made their peace. Master Roshi had also agreed to allow Vegeta to come, although he was quite reluctant, given their last encounter.

Bulma knocked on the gravity room door. Although she hadn't been working on it quite as much, she did help Vegeta by increasing the level of gravity the machine could run on, as promised. Since the gravity chamber was much better fortified than before and a lot more advanced, this wasn't too difficult for her. He was now able to train under up to 1000Gs, though he hadn't quite reached that level just yet.

Vegeta came out, not looking too happy.

"Hey Vegeta, I'm heading over to Roshi's this afternoon." She said, "The whole gang's gonna be there. Wanna come?"

"That old lecher?!" Vegeta asked in a somewhat irritated tone.

Bulma couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Well… Don't worry about that." She said reassuringly, while chuckling, "He said he 'likes his spine right where it is'."

Vegeta chuckled, quickly recalling his threat. Seems the old man heeded it.

"Hmmm…" Vegeta said, "Will Kakarot be there?"

"Yeah…" Bulma answered. "So… is that a yes?"

"I still have to finish my training…" Vegeta replied.

"About that…" Bulma began speaking, "I was wondering, why wasn't the gravity chamber running?"

"My physical training is complete for now." Vegeta answered, "I'm mainly focusing on my mind training…"

"Oh… So how long?"

"Should take me a few hours." Replied Vegeta.

"Perfect!" Bulma replied. She embraced and kissed him. "Tell me when you're done, all right?"

"Hn." He responded, "By the way… Dress in your training uniform."

Bulma was startled.

"How come?" She asked.

"Just do it." He answered. Truthfully, he loved the way it looked on her, but he didn't want to say it – of course he hid these thoughts from her.

Bulma mused for a while. Well, she did always like the Kung-Fu attire. Its design was just impeccable, so she might as well do as Vegeta requested.

"All right."

A few hours passed by and Vegeta was done training. Normally he would perform mind training in a more open and naturalistic setting, but this time, he needed to be alone and in a more compact environment.

He and Bulma showered together and he got dressed in his Saiyan bodysuit, gloves and boots (A/N: Remember, it's the same as his attire in the Buu saga), while she dressed in a blue/silver Kung-Fu uniform.

Bulma took out a capsule containing her Capsule Corporation 576 airplane, pressed and tossed it. Her mother and father went inside.

"I'm not getting in that accursed contraption." Groused Vegeta.

"Oh come on, 'Geta…" Bulma pleaded.

"I'd rather fly myself." He said.

Bulma thought of a suitable argument.

"Well… If you're in here, you can get some more mind training done."

Vegeta contemplated for a moment. Although he had completed his mind training, focusing on his newfound power and getting a better mental grasp of it, wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"All right fine…" He answered, "But no noise!"

"Sure thing 'Geta."

He went inside the ship and they headed towards Kame House. Vegeta was surprised when he sensed the true depth of his power. It was unbelievable. He'd never felt anything quite like it before – this was something unique. He had felt almost untouchable. His whole fighting style, speed, strength, power and technique had been revolutionized…

An hour passed. It was around ten minutes passed three. Luckily, they weren't too late.

"Well, we're here now." Bulma said.

They got out of the plane and the entire gang was already there, outside Kame House, although they hadn't been there too long. Yamcha had arrived with Naomi and her family just before they had, on his airplane.

"Hey Bulma, hey Vegeta!" Shouted an ecstatic Goku.

"Hey Goku." Bulma came over to him and hugged him, letting go soon afterwards.

It had been a while since he last saw them. Then he suddenly sensed a Ki signal inside Bulma – a Saiyan Ki signal. His eyes widened and he turned to face Vegeta. Vegeta smirked at him.

'That's right Kakarot.' He said, 'But tell no one…'

'They might sense it for themselves though…' He replied, after a moment of shock.

'Unlikely… Their senses aren't accustomed enough.' He said, 'Unless they specifically focus on it, they won't be able to make it out. Maybe the Namek and three-eyes will, so just tell them not to say anything.'

'Sure.' Said Goku, 'Does anyone else know?'

'Other than me and her, just you, her parents and Scar-Face.' He replied.

'Yamcha knows?!' Goku exclaimed, excessively loud.

'Not so loud, you idiot!' Vegeta groused, '… And yes, he does.'

'Weird…'

'And what's so weird about that?'

Goku gaped at Bulma and then back at Vegeta.

'Vegeta… did I just hear… Bulma's voice in my head?'

Vegeta and Bulma both smirked at him knowingly and folded their arms. A while ago Vegeta had told her about the mental-link between pureblooded Saiyans. By now the elder Briefs had made their way towards the rest of the gang, who were all engaging in dialogue with one-another. Naomi and family was also present – Bulma had phoned Yamcha earlier on and asked him to bring them along.

'How is that possible?' Goku asked, completely baffled.

'Well, since my mental barriers are open, she can listen to any voice in my head…' He answered, 'And she can speak to you, through me.'

'But… how?' Asked Goku.

'It's the power of the bond Kakarot.' He answered. 'I can open an exclusive link with her if I want, but when I speak with anyone else telepathically, she can listen.'

'Wow, Vegeta… That's so amazing.' Goku said.

'Well… He is amazing.' Bulma said, smirking.

Goku laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. He closed his mental barriers before he thought about Trunks. Trunks? Bulma was already carrying a child. Was it Trunks inside of her? It was so soon that it was hard to tell. Goku concentrated on the Ki signal… It was Trunks – he remembered that Ki signal perfectly, but he was conceived earlier in this timeline. How strange… More importantly, did it really matter? As long as he was born, that was all that mattered… right? It was all much too confusing for him. Unbeknownst to Goku, Piccolo had heard everything – he too was thinking along the same lines as his friend and former adversary.

"There a reason you did that Kakarot?" Vegeta asked, narrowing his eyes, having noticed that he shut off his mental link.

"Well, uh… Kind of." He answered goofily.

"Anything we should know, Goku?" Bulma asked, putting her hands on her hips and staring at him dead-on.

"Well… Not really…" Goku answered giving a half-truth. They did know about their child of course, but what they didn't know was that they had seen his alternate self. He may as well hide it from them, since he did make that promise. Not that it made that much of a difference now. "Anyway, what do you say, we head over with the others?"

"Whatever…" Bulma said, rolling her eyes. Goku could act so strange sometimes.

Gohan was working on the barbeque.

"Hey guys!" Bulma beamed. She was happy to see them all again.

"Hi Bulma!" Said Yamcha.

"Hey Bulma baby! You're looking as beautiful as ev-"

"Did I not warn you once old man?!" Vegeta quickly disappeared and reappeared in front of Bulma, before giving his warning to the old lecher approaching her.

Roshi cringed and stepped backwards. Everyone gaped at Vegeta, but then remembered their last reunion.

"Hey it's you!" Said Jethro heading towards him, "I saw you fight… You were so cool!"

Vegeta frowned at the child. Roshi used this lucky break to get out of dodge. What an idiot he was. He'd totally forgotten about the psycho Saiyan's wrath.

"What?" Vegeta asked in confusion.

"Yeah… You were on TV." Hunter elaborated, also making his way towards the surly Prince. "We saw you beat up twenty-three guys at once! Well technically we didn't cause you moved so fast."

"Uh… Vegeta… what're they talking about?" Asked Krillin.

Vegeta thought for a while. So that fight of his was broadcast. He never even knew. Moreover, who were these two brats?

"They were weaklings…" He said, smirking.

"Who were?" Asked Tien, confused.

"You guys didn't see?" Yamcha said, "It was on TV. He fought a bunch of idiots for the chance to train under Master Zhao Shing."

"Master Zhao Shing?" Asked Roshi, who returned to the scene, suddenly interested in the dialogue that was taking place. Though he'd never met the man in person, he knew that he was a renowned master and had similar techniques to the turtle style. "You trained under him Vegeta?"

"Not exactly…" Vegeta answered, "I just learned a special mind training technique."

"But how come?" Krillin asked.

Vegeta was growing impatient.

"You idiots ask too many damn questions!" He groused and was about to walk off to a quiet place when Bulma grabbed him.

"And where do you think you're going?" She asked, frowning at him.

"Away from these annoying pests!" He answered, "Now would you mind letting go?!"

"Bulma, what's up with your outfit?" Krillin asked, having just noticed her unusual attire, "I've never seen you wear that."

"Yeah… and you look like you're in really and I mean, really good… shape." Chi-Chi commented, whilst appraising her.

She let go of Vegeta now and he used this opportunity to walk off and find a quiet place to sit down and relax for a while, without a bunch of annoying idiot blabbermouths asking him question after question.

"Thanks Chi-Chi." Bulma replied, "I've been working out like crazy…"

"But what about the outfit?" Asked Krillin.

"That's an outfit from the dragon school, I see." Master Roshi observed, his index finger and thumb on his chin, showing his intrigue.

"Well yeah…" Bulma answered, "That old master gave Vegeta a dozen outfits."

"Hmm… Interesting." Master Roshi said and turned towards Vegeta, who'd found a quiet spot to sit down and focus.

Tien then sensed something. His mind was always deeply focused on his surroundings.

"Bulma… are you-"

"Hey Tien, can we talk alone for a moment?" Goku said, having made his way to the scene a while ago.

"Uh… Sure Goku." He answered.

"Piccolo… Mind coming with us?" He asked.

Piccolo snickered.

'No need.' He answered mentally, 'I know everything…'

Goku's eyes widened and he stared at his Namekian friend incredulously.

"P-P-Piccolo?"

'I'm a Namek…' He stated boldly and proudly, smirking at him, 'I've heard every single conversation between you two clowns, since you first learned about your mental link…'

Goku was speechless or more accurately, thoughtless for a moment…

'O-Oh… So you know about… Trunks?' Goku asked.

Piccolo nodded his head… After a long while, Goku collected his wits… mostly.  
>'Okay, c-could you please not s-say-'<p>

'I won't…' Piccolo replied mentally, interrupting the Saiyan. Vegeta did not hear, since his mental walls were just about closed at the time.

Goku then gestured for Tien to follow him, who was staring back and forth between them, confusedly, but decided to shrug it off.

~~~~

Goku brought Tien over to the other side of the island.

"Tien, I know what you sensed." Goku said, narrowing his eyes at the three-eyed warrior.

"So, it's true… Bulma's-"

"Yes…" Goku answered.

"Whose child?" Tien asked, "It can't be Yamcha's, given their situation and all."

"I think you can find that out for yourself." Goku said.

Tien closed his eyes and when he opened them, they widened like never before. He stared at Goku incredulously, but at the same time knew that what he sensed was in fact, reality.

"Don't tell anyone, Tien…" Goku said, "I need your word… Please."

Tien nodded to him, unable to say anything else.

'Tien?' Asked Chiaotzu mentally.

Tien turned to him.

'What is it Chiaotzu?' He asked.

'What's going on?'

Tien turned to Goku.

"Goku, can I tell Chiaotzu?" He asked, "He won't tell anyone… This'll stay between us, I swear…"

Goku sighed.

'Vegeta…'

'What, Kakarot?' Asked the Saiyan Prince, whose mental walls, though almost completely closed, were still open enough to detect any thought directed his way.

'It is all right if Tien tells Chiaotzu… They've sworn not to tell anyone else …' Goku assured him.

Vegeta thought for a moment.

'Fine… But if they do, they're history…' He grumbled.

Goku nodded his head to Tien, who told his best friend the news, who was also stunned at the revelation and in absolute disbelief, until he confirmed it for himself.

~~~~

Bulma knew what Tien meant to ask and was glad that Goku had drawn his attention away. She could always rely on him. While they were getting ready to leave, Yamcha spoke.

"It's quite strange Bulma…" Yamcha spoke, "You never wear a training outfit… I hardly expected you to wear one on a formal occasion, like this."

"I hardly call this formal." Said Bulma, "This is more of a casual occasion amongst friends…"

"Hey Bulma, how are you?" Asked Naomi, who just came out of the bathroom.

"Hey Naomi…" Bulma replied and the two hugged. "I'm doing great… Better than ever."

"You sure are in good spirits Bulma…" Krillin commented, "I wonder what's gotten you so hyped up."

"Well… It is nice seeing us all together again." She answered, giving a half-truth and laughing sheepishly.

"Yeah… But there seems to be more to it than that Bulma…" Krillin observed… "You've never been this happy before."

Bulma's delightful mood slowly began changing into nervousness.

'Vegeta… Help me… They're gonna find out!' She pleaded mentally.

Vegeta frowned when he heard that and turned in her direction. He quickly disappeared and reappeared, next to Bulma, using his hyper-speed.

Naomi who was on the other side of her nearly fell down, until Bulma caught her with her hand around her waist and pulled her up.

"V-V-Vegeta…" Krillin spoke, in a mix of confusion and anxiety. Just what in the world was going on? Why did he appear there all of a sudden?

Bulma pulled Naomi back to her feet. She gasped when she heard the name. It was him.

"It's you…" Naomi said, looking towards him.

"Who are you people?" Vegeta asked, an eyebrow raised curiously. He'd never seen them before.

"They're friends of mine, Vegeta." Bulma said smiling, glad that he'd managed to come in time to divert the discussion somewhere else, "Naomi works at Capsule Corporation and her brothers train with Yamcha… She also has a sister named Jasmine… She's right over… uh… there."

Bulma pointed towards Jasmine.

"I see…" Vegeta said, after finishing his mental conversation with Goku, while he and Tien were on the other side of the island. All the others were engaging in dialogue amongst themselves, although they also honed in on the main conversation taking place.

"Yamcha told us that you're one of the strongest fighters on the planet…" Hunter said, after a moment of silence.

"Yeah… He said there's only one guy on the planet can beat you…" Jethro said.

"Really?" Vegeta turned in his direction smirking, "Well, he's wrong… No one can beat me… Not without multiplying their strength anyway…"

"You're still that sure of yourself Vegeta?" Goku said after returning to the scene with Tien, "You may have narrowly won our last battle… But I've gotten much stronger since then."

Vegeta snickered and Goku looked at him in confusion.

"The stronger the better…" Vegeta said, "Our last battle was a lot of fun… But this time around, I have a feeling you'll bore me to death… Unless of course, you choose to use your Kaio-Ken or Super Saiyan powers."

Goku's eyes widened. He seemed even more confident than before. Just how much power had he gained? It didn't matter. He'd gained a lot of strength himself. He'd show his rival just how powerful he'd become. Ever since their last battle, he trained harder than ever in his alone-time, intent on surpassing him once again…

"Wait, so you're… Goku?" Asked Jethro.

"Yeah… that's me…" He replied.

"Yamcha says you're the strongest guy on the planet…" Said Hunter.

"You know Yamcha?" He asked.

"Yeah, he teaches us martial arts…" Jethro answered. "We've picked up some pretty cool stuff over the last two or so months from him."

"Wow…" Goku turned to Yamcha and then back to the children, "Yamcha and I both trained under Master Roshi… Though he began his training after I did, but we've known each other a long time."

"Wait… I'm kind of confused." Hunter said, "If you're the strongest, how did Vegeta beat you?"

"Because he's not…" Vegeta answered, smirking.

"Yes I am…" Goku answered.

"Really?" Vegeta said, still smirked at him, "I bet you, I could pummel you into the ground easily if you didn't multiply your base-power…"

Everyone goggled at Vegeta, especially Goku. Was the Prince bluffing? Or had he really become that much stronger? Did he take into account the increases in power that Goku would have experienced?

"Yeah! Fight! Fight! Fight!" Hunter and Jethro beamed in unison, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Oh no you don't!" Chi-Chi growled, "I know just what happened last time! You almost killed one other… You two idiots aren't safe when you're fighting each other! It's not gonna happen!"

"Who're you calling an idiot, harpy?!" Vegeta growled.

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT YOU CRAZY ARROGANT BABOON!" Chi-Chi screeched. Everyone flinched at her voice. They'd never heard anything quite so dreadful before.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE ME DEAF YOU LOUDMOUTH BANSHEE?!" Vegeta yelled back, after regaining his composure somewhat. Everyone cringed. Was Vegeta planning to battle Goku or Chi-Chi?

Goku immediately grabbed Vegeta's shoulder and used instant transmission, teleporting them to a desolate forest in the middle of nowhere.

"W-W-Where'd they g-go?" Asked Jethro, after everyone pulled themselves together, totally mind-boggled.

"Oh no… I shouldn't have done that…" Chi-Chi fell on her knees and palms, her anger replaced by a strong feeling of dread, "Now they're going to kill each other…"

Bulma bent down next to her.

"Don't worry Chi-Chi…" She said, placing a hand on her back, "They're not that stupid… They'll be fine."

Chi-Chi sniffled.

"They are that stupid, Bulma…" She said, "All they ever think about is fighting… I don't want to be a widow."

"You won't be, Chi-Chi." Bulma reassured her.

"Wait… You're Goku's wife?" Asked Naomi.

Chi-Chi looked up at her and nodded weakly.

~~~~

"KAKAROOOOTTTTT?!" Vegeta yelled, as if to demand an explanation.

Goku shrank back at the excessively loud noise produced by his rival. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"Look Vegeta, I'd appreciate you not shouting like that." He berated, a solemn look on his face, "It's bad for my ears… Listen, I'm going to go back, but I don't want you to start fighting Chi-Chi, okay? I came to Kame House for a friendly reunion… If I wanted to lose my hearing, I would've asked…"

Vegeta scowled, but after a while, he cooled down.

"Fine, whatever…" He sighed, relenting.

Goku breathed a sigh of relief and after a moment he grabbed his rival's shoulder and teleported back to Kame House.

~~~~

"You're back!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, totally relieved. She jumped at Goku embracing him, while Vegeta stepped sideways, to avoid her. Naomi and her family were totally at a loss… What just happened? How did they just disappear and return like that.

"Chi-Chi please… Not in front of everyone…" Pleaded an embarrassed Goku.

Bulma laughed, but she immediately noticed something. Seems her training had paid off and helped her spot perpetrators. She quickly disappeared and reappeared behind Chi-Chi, before uppercutting Roshi hard, sending him flying into the air and back down on the ground.

Naomi almost fell down, after seeing Bulma vanish right in front of her eyes, but Vegeta's tail had instinctively caught her waist and pulled her back to her feet, before unwinding itself from her.

'What was that?' He thought, 'Was it pack instinct? I guess so… Perhaps I have a tendency to protect anyone who's friends with Bulma.'

"Thanks…" Naomi said, smiling at him.

Vegeta turned to her with an impassive expression, before turning back, paying her no real mind.

Chi-Chi turned around and saw Bulma hit Roshi… hard.

Roshi landed on the ground in an undignified manner.

"Bulma?" Asked Chi-Chi, bewildered.

"Roshi…" She simply answered.

"Oh…" Chi-Chi replied, rolling her eyes and then smiled at her in appreciation, "Thanks, Bulma."

"Wow, that was amazing!" Jethro said, dashing near Bulma.

"Yeah… I could barely follow your movement!" Hunter exclaimed.

"Wait… You saw her move?" Asked Naomi, completely bewildered.

"Yeah… Barely though… Her speed was unbelievable." Jethro answered.

"What… You didn't see her move?" Asked Goku, who wasn't paying attention to Bulma.

Naomi shook her head.

"Bulma… Are you really that fast?" Goku asked, "How?"

"Well… I learned from the very best." She said, smirking.

"Oh yeah… That Dragon Master, right?" Asked Krillin.

"Uh… No…" Answered Bulma.

"Vegeta's been training you?!" Goku asked after mentally putting the pieces together, completely shocked.

Bulma nodded her head, smirking.

Everyone looked at her in disbelief – Chi-Chi, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Roshi, who'd managed to recover himself, Oolong, Turtle, Piccolo and Gohan, who was still tending to the barbeque, but turned around for a moment – all except the elder Briefs who of course knew from the get-go, Naomi and her siblings, whom Bulma had already told and Yamcha and Puar, whom Naomi had told, though he too was initially stunned at the news. Ox King was sick and hospitalized at this time, so he couldn't bring himself to the social gathering, although his condition was in no way critical.

They then looked towards Vegeta, staring at him incredulously.

"What are you gawking at?!" He demanded, after a moment.

They immediately averted their gazes.

"Vegeta… I-Is that true?" Asked Krillin, his eyes fixed on the ground underneath him, not wanting to look at those death-filled ebony orbs of the Saiyan Prince, although after a while he did look at him weakly.

The Prince simply nodded his head. Why did she have to tell them that? They're all far too nosy for their own good and it annoyed him to death. Maybe that's why he hated social gatherings so much - too much noise, too many questions and too many people – all of which he hated.

"Wait so… you two are… together?" Asked Krillin. By now, many of them already knew.

Bulma froze for a moment. What would she tell them? Vegeta just didn't care anymore.

"Yes, we are." He grumbled, talking quickly.

The ones who didn't already know were a little shocked hearing that, but then they recalled what took place the last time they'd gathered together.

"Food's ready everyone!" Gohan exclaimed.

Goku and Vegeta both disappeared and reappeared in front of the barbeque. The two of them were famished.

It was a great meal… Everyone was very well sated. Gohan sure knew how to work the barbeque to perfection.

"Hey, Goku…" Jethro spoke, "I saw you and Vegeta disappear earlier. How did you do that? Or was that just some sort of mega-speed?"

Goku explained the instant transmission technique to him and he was absolutely flabbergasted as were the rest of his family.

"Amazing…" Said all four members of the family in unison. To know that such powers existed was well beyond their imagination.

"So Kakarot… I think it's time…" Vegeta smirked.

"Why do you call him Kakarot?" Asked Hunter, curiously.

"It's his birth-name." He answered with a half-truth. He didn't want to bother explaining things any further. "Well, what do you say we have some fun?"

"Please… You don't have to do this…" Beseeched a disheartened Chi-Chi looking between the two of them, "All you'll end up doing is hurting each other…"

Vegeta was dumbfounded. Kakarot being hurt was one thing, but why would she care if he were hurt? Perhaps Bulma was right and she did gain respect for him since their last visit.

"It's all right Chi-Chi, I'll go get some senzu beans." Said Goku, immediately disappearing from the spot, using his instant transmission. He headed straight back to Mount Paozu.

Naomi and her family jumped when they saw that. Bulma giggled.

"Don't worry…" She reassured them. "You'll get used to that…"

"I don't think I'll get used to any of this…" Said Naomi.

"Yeah… Try living with that lunkhead." Chi-Chi said, in exasperation.

Goku then reappeared next to Chi-Chi, holding a sack of senzu beans, which he tossed to Gohan, who caught them immediately.

Chi-Chi felt so despondent that she didn't even have the heart to shout anymore. Goku noticed this and sat down next to her, draping his arm around her shoulder.

"Chi-Chi… I promise everything will be all right…" Goku said, "You know why we have to do this…"

Chi-Chi sighed dejectedly but then thought about it for a minute. Maybe he was right. After all, the bottom line was that they were fighting for the survival of the planet and so had to keep practicing with one-another, to better themselves.

"All right Goku." She looked at him, smiling sadly.

Goku and Vegeta got up and left. The other Z-fighters were about to follow suite when Bulma interrupted them.

"Helllllooooo…" She said, expectantly, "Aren't you idiots forgetting about the rest of us?"

"Huh? What're you talking about Bulma?" Asked Gohan.

"We're coming too…" Bulma replied.

"Bulma, that's not safe…" Yamcha said, concernedly. He always knew how much she loved danger. She'd done the same thing when she wanted to see Frieza when the latter came to destroy Earth with his father.

"Yeah, we want to see the battle as well!" Jethro beamed.

"No, neither of you will." Yamcha frowned at them, "I don't want you caught in the cross-fire… You're just kids."

"But he's also a kid." Hunter said, pointing at Gohan.

Yamcha sighed in exasperation.

"You can come… It's fine…" Bulma said, looking at them.

"Bulma!" Yamcha and Naomi reprimanded in unison.

"It'll all be fine, Naomi. Trust me…" She said, "You should come too. You should as well Chi-Chi… This isn't a fight you want to miss."

Chi-Chi looked up at Bulma. Her mood suddenly changed. Maybe seeing the fight wouldn't be such a bad idea. The thought of being present certainly did help removed some of the tension eating away at her.

"Yeah, why not?" Chi-Chi smirked.

"Bulma… Are you nuts?" Krillin asked.

"Look… Those two can control themselves, they're not gonna hurt any of us." She said.

"You obviously didn't see their last battle." Piccolo said.

"Listen… We'll be safe if we're not too close, okay?" Bulma said.

"Are they really that strong?" Jethro asked.

"Far more powerful than you can ever imagine…" Said Yamcha, "I think this is a bad idea Bulma."

"Come on, let's go…" Bulma said, "Jasmine, you wanna come too?"

"No… I'm scared…" She confessed.

"I promise… You'll be just fine." Bulma said. "I'll be right there with you, okay?"

After a moment of thought, she nodded, somewhat relieved after hearing that.

Naomi sighed in defeat. She thought it was a bad idea, but she couldn't really argue if Bulma felt that calm and comfortable with the whole situation.

They were all outside by now. Goku and Vegeta had already flown off.

"Hey Jasmine, come here…" Bulma said.

Jasmine came and Bulma picked her up, cradling her, while she wound her legs above her waist and arms around her neck.

"Just remain calm, okay?" She said and then flew off from the spot. Vegeta had taught her how to spot Ki signals, so locating them would be no trouble at all. By now she'd also mastered the flying technique and had been practicing like crazy, travelling long distances. Jasmine screamed for her life and nuzzled into Bulma's neck, but soon calmed down, after Bulma stroked the back of her head and cooed reassuring words in the little girl's ear.

Everyone stared at each other in absolute shock.

"D-Did B-B-Bulma j-just f-f-fly?" Krillin asked, totally flabbergasted.

"I… uh… guess so." Yamcha said, not as shocked as his friend, but shocked nonetheless.

"H-How c-can a-anyone f-fly? Th-that's impossible." Said Hunter.

The three remaining family members were shocked and speechless.

After a moment of silence, Gohan broke it.

"Okay… uh… mom?" Gohan asked. Chi-Chi turned to him. "Want me to carry you?"

"O-O-Okay…" Chi-Chi said. She was still overcome with shock, seeing Bulma fly. She had to admit she felt somewhat envious. Goku had never taught her how to fly. But then, she'd never asked and he really never knew any better. But Vegeta did… She couldn't help but feel that Vegeta was better with Bulma than Goku with her.

Gohan picked her up underneath her shoulders and slowly lifted off, before increasing speed and following Bulma.

"Th-That k-kid c-can f-f-fly?" Jethro asked, looking at Yamcha.

Yamcha nodded his head. He went towards Naomi and draped his arm around her waist.

"Yamcha, what are you-"

"One of you boys needs to come with me as well…" Yamcha said and then turned to Naomi, "Hold on tight, okay?"

Naomi too shocked to speak simply nodded her head, wrapping her arm around his neck.

Jethro came along.

"Hop on kid…" He said.

He nodded and jumped, wrapping his arms around the scar-faced warrior's neck. Yamcha caught him and likewise wrapped his arm around the boy's waist.

"Alright… Three, two, one and liftoff." Yamcha said, before dashing into the air.

Tien, Krillin, Piccolo and Chiaotzu were the only ones left who could fly. Oolong, Puar and Turtle elected to remain behind, as did the elder Briefs.

"Come on kid…" Tien smirked at Hunter and lifted him up, holding him around the waist.

"You c-can f-f-fly t-too?" He asked.

Tien nodded his head at him and lifted off. Chiaotzu followed suite.

"Coming, master?" Krillin asked.

Roshi nodded. He was still speechless after seeing Bulma fly… Vegeta really had taught her… extremely well too.

Krillin lifted off, holding Roshi underneath the arms and when Piccolo saw that everyone had been accounted for, he came along too.

~~~~

Naomi and Jethro both screamed for their lives and held onto Yamcha tightly. Eventually they were able to calm down more and more as he reassured them.

Yamcha soon caught up to Gohan, Chi-Chi, Bulma and Jasmine. The others had soon caught up too. After about twenty minutes, they noticed that Bulma looked like she'd just run a marathon.

They all had to admit that they were impressed with her speed and ability to make it this far, let alone keep up with them, though barely. How had Vegeta been able to transform her so fast? Piccolo shook his head in exasperations, knowing that he had to lend a hand or two.

He flew over Bulma and grabbed her underneath the shoulders, as she held onto the child. Bulma looked up and noticed who was carrying her.

"Thanks… Piccolo…" She said and eased herself, taking heavy breaths.

Piccolo groaned. He hated having to do this. Bulma looked down on the terrain as Piccolo flew past. She felt disheartened… After a little moment, she had recouped herself.

"I'm still not good enough…" She said despondently.

The others looked at her.

"Cut yourself some slack Bulma…" Krillin said. "How long's it been since you've been flying anyway?"

"Since last Wednesday…" She answered.

"You learned that fast?" Yamcha asked. Naomi had nuzzled into his neck and she and Jethro was holding on tight as they could, while the scar-faced warrior was flying at super-sonic speeds.

Bulma smirked at him…

"Well… I did learn from the best." She answered.

"Yamcha… can you teach us that too?" Asked Jethro.

"Sure thing kid…" He answered.

~~~~

"Hey Vegeta…" Goku said, after they'd reached their destination – the same place they'd battled last time. "Everyone's following us… Do we wait for them?"

Vegeta mused for a moment.

"Fine…" He said, then sat down and began meditating, trying to relax his thoughts. Goku followed suite, but could hardly get his mind off of Vegeta's calm composure and sheer confidence. Vegeta was always one to brag, but never like this. What power had he gained since they had last fought? The apprehension was eating away at him, but he would just have to find out, when it was time.

~~~~

Within ten minutes, the others had arrived on scene.

"Listen… I need all of you to stay back, while Vegeta and I fight." Goku instructed. "This will be an explosive battle."

The others nodded and stayed a safe distance away. The Z fighters, all except Chiaotzu, had already witnessed the first battle or at least the end of it and had sensed the radical powers from both Saiyans. How much would they have improved since then?

"Well… Kakarot," Vegeta said, smirking and then demanded, "Power up to your very highest!"

"You sure that's what you want?" He asked, narrowing his eyes indignantly.

Vegeta simply nodded his head, that smug expression never escaping his features.

'Let's see what he's got…'

The audience gulped in anticipation of the battle that was about to ensue.

Goku placed his fists by his sides, elbows bent and slowly began powering up and after a few moments he roared, as his energy went through the roof. He wasn't going to hold back. The ground began shaking.

Naomi et al. were absolutely speechless at what they were seeing and feeling. A fiery red aura engulfed Goku.

"W-W-What's h-h-happening?" Asked Hunter. "I-I-Is h-he o-o-okay?"

The others were totally speechless, upon feeling Goku's power. It sent shockwaves throughout their bodies. After a moment, Tien answered him.

"H-he's p-powering up…" Tien said, "That's all…"

The last time they felt his power, it wasn't as high as this – in fact it wasn't anywhere close.

"D-Dad's amazing…" Gohan said, jaw dropping.

"He's your father?" Asked Jethro, who was nearby and had heard him.

Gohan turned to him slowly and nodded his head…

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at his rival… So he wasn't bluffing. His power was greater than he had anticipated.

A few moments later Goku had all but powered up and smirked at his rival.

'Incredible…' Vegeta thought. 'No matter…'

"Well, Vegeta…" He said, "I guess that's your cue…"

Vegeta smirked back at him.

"I guess so…"

"How can Vegeta be smiling?" Tien asked and then looked at Goku, feeling the younger Saiyans power burn through to his very core, "He's going up against… that!"

"Vegeta surprised us the last time…" Piccolo said, "I have a feeling he might again…"

"That guy isn't human…" Jethro said, looking at Goku wide-eyed and then at Yamcha. "No wonder you said, he was the strongest…"

Yamcha simply nodded at him.

"I never imagined him ever being this strong though… no way." He said.

Vegeta cracked his neck a few times and stretched his arms out before placing his elbows by his side.

"Brace yourselves!" Exclaimed Piccolo.

Vegeta slowly powered up and soon he began roaring out loud as a fiery blue flame engulfed him completely and the ground trembled violently as a result of his radical power. His sounds sent chills down the spines of each of the audience members.

"No… There's no way…" Yamcha said…

Vegeta continued powering up. His energy soared…

"He's still not finished?!" Krillin shouted out in disbelief.

As moments passed on, disbelief turned into terror and finally into absolute horror as Vegeta's power continued skyrocketing higher and higher.

"H-He's even stronger than d-dad…" Gohan said.

Jethro turned to him, eyes widened.

"He is?"

Gohan again turned to him and nodded his head.

'That's it Vegeta…' Bulma smirked, 'Show them all who you are!'

Vegeta smirked as he heard her thoughts and with a final roar, his power-up was complete. He composed himself in a battle-hardened stance, his hands pointing outwards like claws and his teeth gnashed in an evil animalistic grin… He looked like a wild predator ready to tear apart his prey…

Goku looked on incredulously and felt dread fill him to the very core…

'No way…' He thought in disbelief and exasperation, 'I worked so hard… I pushed myself so far – how did his power exceed mine again? And what's up with that stance? I haven't seen anything like it before… I've gotta admit, it gives me the creeps.'

"What's the matter?" Vegeta said in a mocking tone, "Cat got your tongue?"

Goku frowned at him in anger, though he still couldn't overcome that feeling of trepidation.

"Prepare yourself!" He shouted.

The two of them immediately disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Asked Hunter.

"I don't know…" Tien said, "I can't follow their movements… They're way too fast… But I can hear the explosions…"

Vegeta and Goku continued charging at each other, but Vegeta was getting the best of him, quite easily, much to his younger rival's dismay… He was attacking his pressure points with his middle fingers, his hand shaped like hooks, paralleling his mastery of his inherent Saiyan animalistic form of power and at the same time his own unique well-practiced speed, precision and intelligence. Goku quickly realized that he was facing the perfect beast. He was surprised, since the attacks didn't seem to do much damage, but he could barely get a hit in on his older rival.

"No… I won't lose!" Goku shouted… But he knew that he would. No matter what moves he pulled he couldn't win… He could use the Kaio-Ken… No! That would just prove that he took the easy way out…

Vegeta dropkicked his rival on the mid-section as they were battling in the air, landing him straight on the ground, breaking through several dozen feet of hard rock.

"Vegeta just got the best of Goku…" Tien said.

"Yeah… He's surpassed him again…" Said Piccolo. "But how?"

Goku roared and exploded as he recouped himself and faced his older rival in anger.

'He's so much stronger than me…' Goku said, 'How can this be? I'm giving it everything I've got!'

Goku suddenly felt a degree of numbness throughout his body. What was going on?

"Well Kakarot…" Vegeta said in a bored tone, "You won't be much of a challenge at all… I can see that I won't be able to test the true limits of my strength against you… How about you use the Kaio-Ken?"

"WHAT?!" Goku shouted in a mix of disbelief and fury, "YOU'RE SAYING YOU HAVEN'T BEEN GOING ALL OUT?!"

Vegeta shook his head in the negative.

"No way…" Gohan said, "Vegeta's even stronger than this… It can't be…"

"Maybe he's bluffing…" Yamcha said, "Maybe he's trying to get Goku angry… There's no way he can be that strong!"

"He is that strong, okay?!" Bulma said irked, "You have no clue how hard he trains!"

"Come on Goku!" Chi-Chi shouted, trying to be supportive, "You can do it!"

"No… That'd be the coward's way out!" Goku yelled at his rival, "AND I'M NOT A COWARD!"

Goku charged at his rival, but was again bested easily as Vegeta vanished and reappeared behind him, attacking a pressure point in the small of the back, with a hooked hand, making him go limp momentarily, before grabbing him from behind in a full-nelson.

"Face it, Kakarot…" Vegeta smirked as he addressed him. "You're no match for me without the Kaio-Ken… While you did put up a good fight, you still weren't good enough… There's no shame in it… You used the Kaio-Ken in our first battle after all."

Goku tried to escape but couldn't.

"Vegeta has him!" Master Roshi shouted.

"I-It c-can't be…" Said Krillin.

"Goku… Get out of there… NOW!" Chi-Chi shrieked.

"Let… go of me!" Goku demanded.

"Make me!" Vegeta sneered, "Well go on… Use the Kaio-Ken… It's your only means of escape and you know it… Or you can simply give up…"

"NO!" Goku protested.

Vegeta pressed harder down his neck, making him yelp in pain, as the Prince grinned evilly. Goku couldn't take it anymore, he had to escape or surrender. But he'd never surrendered to anyone before in his life, no matter how strong they were… Curse Vegeta for putting him into this mess!

"KAIO-KENNNNN!" Goku shouted and broke free of Vegeta's hold.

"Woah… Dad's energy just spiked…" Gohan said.

"Vegeta made him use the Kaio-Ken again!" Piccolo exclaimed.

"What's the Kaio-Ken?" Asked Jethro.

"It's a move that multiplies your power…" Gohan answered. "Dad's the only person on Earth who can do it…"

"Wow… That's amazing…" Jethro stated.

Goku, still powered up with Kaio-Ken, lunged at Vegeta, hook-punching him right in the jaw, sending the older Saiyan flying backwards and into a mountain. Goku then fired a Ki-blast right at him.

"Woah… He just shot some… laser beam…" Jethro said, totally flabbergasted.

"It's a Ki blast." Gohan said, correcting the older boy…

'These people are just amazing…' Naomi thought to herself.

Before the attack struck him, Vegeta escaped the mountain, but Goku followed his movement and charged towards him, but just before he reached him, Vegeta vanished. He sensed out his presence and looked above, as a powerful Ki blast headed his way. He couldn't dodge and so he tried blocking it. Vegeta was adding more and more force into the blast.

"I can't hold it…" Goku said… "It's too powerful… Not even the Kaio-Ken is enough…"

"COME ON KAKAROT!" Vegeta taunted, "IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT?!"

That was it for Goku…

"KAIO KEN TIMES TWOOOOOOO!" He roared and was able to redirect the Ki blast back towards Vegeta.

Vegeta snickered and back-handed the Ki-blast, but as he did, the younger Saiyan disappeared and reappeared behind him and now he was the one caught in a full nelson, with a Kaio-Ken times two powered Goku holding him firmly in place. Even though Kaio-Ken was meant for short bursts only, Goku's mastery of the higher levels of Kaio-Ken allowed for him to use the lower levels for much longer periods.

"Well… Vegeta…" Goku said, the ire evident in his voice, "Looks like the tables are now turned…"

Vegeta chuckled…

"Oh really?" He taunted.

Vegeta powered up further, as he broke through his hold.

Goku looked at him, agape.

"WHAT POWER!" Krillin shouted…

"Vegeta was toying with him from the very beginning!" Piccolo said, "This is unbelievable!"

Vegeta lunged at Goku, uppercutting him hard in the jaw, sending him flying forward, before he vanished, appeared behind him and landed a double axe-handle right on Goku's mid-section, sending him plummeting towards the ground.

Vegeta powered up another Ki-blast and fired it at his rival.

Goku managed to land on his feet and put his hands forward, palms facing outwards, in an attempt to block his foe's attack. This was so much like their very first encounter, with Vegeta forcing his rival to use higher and higher levels of Kaio-Ken.

Goku could not hold it off…

"KAIO-KEN TIMES THREEEE!" Goku shouted. With that the blast headed straight towards his rival, but Vegeta simply powered up further and deflected it off into the ground, away from the audience of course.

A large explosion sent massive chunks off rock flying towards the audience.

The Z fighters braced themselves and protected the others.

Yamcha fired a Ki blast at a large piece of rock flying towards Naomi, obliterating it into the dust, while the latter looked at him wide-eyed.

"Th-Th-Thanks Y-Yamcha…" She said.

Yamcha turned around and smirked at her, holding his thumb up.

Another rock flew towards Jethro, but Gohan did a flying kick on it, causing it to shatter into tiny harmless pieces, while the older boy looked at the young demi-Saiyan in absolute disbelief. How could a child be that powerful?

Another large piece of rock was heading towards Jethro from another angle and was about to hit him, when Gohan completely decimated it using a single-handed Ki blast.

"How did you… do that?" Jethro asked.

Gohan looked at him and smiled.

"Well… I've been training for a long time now…" He answered.

"Other than his father, Vegeta and Piccolo over there…" Yamcha said smirking and gesturing towards Piccolo with his thumb, "Gohan's the strongest fighter on the planet…"

Naomi, Jethro and Hunter all looked at Yamcha, jaws dropped.

"He… He… He is?" Hunter asked.

Yamcha merely nodded his head.

"H-How can th-that b-be?" Jethro asked.

"It's in his blood." Yamcha replied, a hint of pride showing.

Naomi and her brothers were just far too stupefied to respond. Gohan blushed and scratched his head sheepishly as he heard Yamcha praising him, but luckily for him, no one noticed. Chi-Chi would normally have berated anyone who claimed that Gohan was a warrior – as far as she was concerned he would grow up to be a scholar, end of story – however, during this particular moment she was much too drawn to the fight to pay attention to anything else.

Goku charged towards Vegeta, who was now powered up near his maximum… He couldn't contain these high levels of energy much longer, especially since the numbness in his body began rising steadily as the battle drew on, which made his Kaio-Ken moves less effectives than they should've been… It was now that he was sure that Vegeta's entire plan wasn't to hurt him in the beginning, but to break him down slowly inch-by-inch. It was such an intelligent maneuver on his part. Moves like that would work perfectly in a real battle. Even still, Goku felt disgraced into having had to use the Kaio-Ken in the first place, but to think he'd have to go even higher… It was unbelievable… All that work… for what – for Vegeta to force him into such humiliation?!

Vegeta evaded his punch and landed a hard blow on his rival's stomach, then brought his knee upwards, ramming it straight into his face, then head-butting him hard in the jaw, before landing a spinning back kick on his forehead, which sent him flying backwards.

Vegeta waited for him to recoup. This was a really fun battle for him, although his rival wasn't too happy right about now. This was not Goku had expected… at all.

Goku broke through the mountain, arms spread out.

"Come on Kakarot!" Vegeta taunted, grinning as he charged towards his rival.

"KAIO KEN TIMES FOOOOOUUUUUUR!" Goku roared and easily dodged Vegeta's attack and then cupped his hands together, as he quickly shouted, "KAME-HAME-HAAAA."

The colossal blue beam of energy powered up with the Kaio-Ken swiftly headed towards Vegeta.

Vegeta tried blocking it but couldn't hold it off, so he did what he had to do and powered up to his maximum, thereby deflecting the blast, though with a degree of difficulty.

Goku charged towards him and the battle was now a lot more even, neither having the advantage over the other. After about two minutes of exchanging blow after blow, Goku felt he couldn't hold himself together much longer. He had to end it now. The pains and numbness were taking their toll and soon he would completely lose focus, in which case he'd lose the battle for sure.

Vegeta landed a hard straight punch on Goku's forehead, which almost knocked him out… almost.

"KAIO-KEN TIMES FIIIIIIVVVVE!" Goku roared as he landed a hard uppercut on his rival and continued pummeling him around for a moment or so.

However, this backfired, as Goku's own body began eating away at him from the inside. Vegeta himself felt worn out, especially after eating all those hard blows. Not even his maximum was enough for Goku when he powered up to Kaio-Ken times five!

Goku fired a Ki-blast at his rival when he was down on the ground. Vegeta barely managed to dodge and as he did, Goku quickly vanished, reappeared behind him, landing a hard knee to the back of his head, while he was still air-born, instantly knocking him out…

Goku stood his spot for a while, before succumbing to the pains that had now crippled him and also to the lack of sensation he felt. He fell backwards on the ground, soon falling unconscious as a result of fatigue. He had beaten his rival… But he'd never imagined having to use that much power for it. He couldn't really revel in a victory such as this.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Amongst friends

As the other Z fighters ran towards Goku, Bulma dashed towards Vegeta, who was nearby. Roshi, along with Naomi and her siblings moved close by, watching.

It didn't take long for Gohan to slap his father awake and give him a senzu bean.

Goku's eyes snapped open and he got up immediately. Naomi and her family stared in awe. What on Earth was that? He didn't have a scar or a bruise on him – he looked perfectly intact.

Bulma was trying to force Vegeta to wake up by shaking his shoulders, but he wasn't responding. He must have really been hit hard. She checked his pulse and breathed a sigh of relief, when she felt it… faintly.

"Gohan, give me a senzu bean now!" Bulma ordered the young boy.

Gohan pulled out a bean and threw it to her. She caught it.

"Vegeta… please wake up!" She pleaded, looked at him concernedly.

Everyone walked over to her, staying at a distance, of course.

No matter how hard she tried, he wasn't waking up. It was as if the blow to the head had put him in a coma, which wasn't too far from the truth. Being assaulted with an attack of that magnitude, in the state that he was in, was no picnic. Bulma had no other alternative.

"Please… don't be mad, Vegeta…" She said, "I have no choice."

She put the senzu bean in her mouth and began chewing.

"Bulma?" Krillin asked, in confusion, scratching his bald head.

She just ignored him and opened Vegeta's mouth, pressing her own mouth against it and forcing the chewed senzu bean in there.

Everyone gaped at her… Knowing about her and Vegeta was one thing, but to see it right in front of their eyes was completely unexpected for them. They were all completely stupefied.

Bulma rubbed his throat downwards several times, forcing the chewed remnants of the bean into his system. Vegeta's eyes soon snapped open and he felt Bulma's mouth over his. Bulma pulled back immediately after sensing that he was revitalized.

He glared at her, while she sheepishly scratched the back of her head.

"Woman…" He demanded an explanation, his tone deceptively calm and laced with anger that seemed well hidden. He sat up.

"Sorry Vegeta…" She said, "I had no choice… You wouldn't wake up, no matter what I did…"

Vegeta then noticed everyone staring at the two of them.

"THIS ISN'T SOME FREAK-SHOW YOU BUNCH OF HALFWITS!" He yelled, "LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE!"

Everyone shrank back with fear and began averting their gazes. Bulma was about to fall backwards, but Vegeta's tail caught her by the waist and stabilized her.

"H-How'd y-y-you h-h-heal l-like th-that?" Jethro asked, noticing the wounds disappeared from him completely as they had with Goku.

"Oh, they're senzu beans…" Gohan answered, "If you eat them, they can heal any injury, no matter how bad, as long as the person isn't dead…"

Naomi and her siblings looked at the young demi-Saiyan, jaws dropped. The surprises never stopped. But after all they'd seen so far, they couldn't start denying them now.

Vegeta stood up, pulling Bulma up with him.

"Kakarot…" He said, smirking at the disheartened Saiyan. "You don't look too happy, right about now…"

Goku sighed despondently…

"I don't get it Vegeta…" He said, "I trained my very best and yet the distance in our powers grew so much wider…"

"Why're you so upset Goku?" Yamcha asked, "You did win after all…"

"Perhaps… But I had to resort to using a Kaio-Ken times five… Even then I barely won…" He said, "When Vegeta turns Super Saiyan, the Kaio-Ken will be obsolete and his power will be far greater than mine…"

The young Saiyan then turned to Vegeta.

"How did you get this strong?" He said, "It seems impossible… And your fighting style seemed almost flawless. Your moves were amazing… Your strategy almost worked. Had I not used the Kaio-Ken times five, I would've lost big time."

"How about you explain first, Kakarot?" Vegeta asked, "I didn't estimate your power to be quite as high as it was… Though it wasn't much compared to my own."

Goku mused for a moment.

"Well, you see, I asked King Kai to send me some heavier training weights from other world." He answered. "He was only too happy to oblige, so…"

"Oh, so you use training weights, huh?" He asked. "How heavy exactly?"

"Well I put one on each leg and each arm…" He answered, "Each weigh about fifteen tons."

Vegeta's eyes widened.

'So that explains how he got so powerful? Amazing.' He thought.

Everyone else was shocked by the revelation far more than Vegeta was, especially Naomi and her siblings.

"Fifteen tons?!" Asked a completely stunned Naomi…

"Well… yeah." He answered, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Goku… You define the word crazy…" Krillin said.

"Fifteen tons apiece makes sixty tons." Vegeta thought, then smirked, "Given your weight, that's the equivalent of nearly 1000Gs in the gravity chamber… Well, not bad Kakarot… Seems you've been working hard…"

The others looked wide-eyed at Vegeta, all except Bulma who already knew and Goku, who wasn't all that surprised by his response. Not bad? That was absolutely crazy and he just brushed it aside like that. But then that was Vegeta…

"Vegeta… What level of gravity do you train at exactly?" Asked Krillin.

"Well… Right now I'm at 850Gs…" He answered.

Everyone looked as if their eyes had just popped out of their heads. These Saiyans truly were nutcases.

"That still doesn't explain why you're so much stronger than me, given that my level of training is just about as brutal…" Goku said, looking at the floor despondently, "… I guess it's your turn to explain, huh?"

Vegeta saw no harm in explaining everything and so he did, from the mind training he underwent with the old master to the primal energy he felt coursing through him, as a result: that ancient animalistic fighting style of the Saiyans he'd felt coursing through him and filling him to the very core… The others too were startled by his style.

"Wow… amazing." Master Roshi said, "So Master Shing's special mind-training technique helped you discover hidden powers and techniques inside of you?"

Vegeta looked at him and nodded.

"So your plan was to heighten your base power with that new energy, so that when you had the ability to ascend, your power would be far greater than anyone or anything…" Goku began asking, "That's about the gist of it, right?"

"That's right Kakarot…" Vegeta said, "And it shouldn't be long before I have that power and then there will be no dispute that I, Prince Vegeta, am the most powerful warrior in the Universe… By my hands the androids will be destroyed, Kakarot!"

"Prince? You're a Prince?" Asked Naomi, curiously, forgetting the latter part of his statement about the androids.

"Yeah… And I'm his Princess…" Beamed Bulma, but immediately regretted it, knowing Vegeta wouldn't be too happy.

Vegeta blushed a deep shade of red. Why did his idiot woman have to make a fool out of them in front of everyone?

The others noticed Vegeta blushing and began laughing hysterically, save Piccolo, who was not amused in the least.

"STOP THAT! STOP IT OR I'LL BLAST YOU ALL!" Roared the surly Prince, after he'd had enough.

Everyone flinched at the loud sound of his voice and panicked in response to his threat.

"Gosh… Some Prince you are…" Said Chi-Chi, alarmed.

"Tell me about it…" Concurred Naomi. "What a temper…"

Jasmine started crying. Bulma walked over to her and embraced her.

"He didn't mean it…" She said, "He just gets a little angry sometimes… He'd never hurt anyone – only really bad people and you're not bad."

Vegeta heard her and scoffed. Then again she was right… But no one else needed to know.

"Quit being a crybaby…" Hunter said, reprimanding his little sister.

She eased up a little, whilst Bulma held her in her arms.

"Should we go back to Kame House?" Asked Master Roshi. It was now about 5:00 pm.

"Yeah, why not?" Answered, Krillin.

Vegeta gestured for Bulma to fly.

"Vegeta… I don't think I can-" She began, but was interrupted.

"You can…" Vegeta said, frowning at her, "Think of this as another training exercise."

"Goku…" Chi-Chi said out of nowhere, realizing what Vegeta was asking of Bulma. "Why don't you teach me how to fly?"

Goku looked at her confusedly.

"Well…" Goku said, "It'll take time and I'm always busy training-"

"So's Vegeta…" Interrupted Chi-Chi, not trying to hide the disheartened expression on her face, "Yet he still finds time for Bulma…"

"Chi-Chi…" Bulma joined the conversation. "It's different for Goku… He has to train with Gohan and Piccolo… You know he'd spend time with you if he had it and we have to prepare for the androids…"

"I don't know…" Chi-Chi said, "I just feel so insecure these days. I'm always home by myself while everyone's out training… Even before Vegeta, you still had your mom and dad. I've only got Goku and Gohan and they're hardly ever around… And my father's always busy looking after his kingdom and all."

Goku could see the despondence on his wife's face and so he wound his arm around her waist and drew her to him.

"Hey, it's okay Chi-Chi…" He said gently, "Gohan can train with Piccolo for a few days and I'll teach you how to fly… That's a promise… Just don't be sad… please… I don't like seeing that look on your face…"

Chi-Chi smiled warmly at him and nuzzled into his chest affectionately.

"Thanks Goku…" She said softly.

The others were more baffled than ever before. The last thing they expected was for Chi-Chi to have complained about Vegeta being a better companion than Goku. Looks like power wasn't the only realm where the surly Prince now surpassed his rival. However, it did still warm their hearts to see Goku's gesture of reassurance to his distressed spouse.

After a few moments, they all flew back to Kame House. Bulma had a little trouble along the way, but Vegeta's words of reassurance kept her up. He forced her to push-on, no matter what. He knew she could do it and constantly reminded her who she was… his Princess and the Princess of all Saiyans. Some of the others tried to protest but Vegeta would glare daggers at them and they shut-up.

Bulma made it back to Kame House and let Jasmine down, who went towards her family after a while… Her breathing was labored and she was about to collapse but Vegeta pulled her back up and held her in place. She was all but spent. The two of them were both crouched down and she nuzzled into his chest, as he began transferring his own energy to her. Only a little amount of it was needed for her to be revitalized. After he was done she smiled warmly at him, placed a hand on the back of his head, placed her forehead on his and kissed his lips.

"Thanks, Vegeta." She said.

"Hn." He replied. Their foreheads were still pressed against one-another.

The others had seen what had taken place. Not only had Vegeta stopped her from falling, but had given his own energy to resuscitate her. They were absolutely flabbergasted as they saw Bulma's smile and display of affection, except for Goku, Piccolo and Yamcha that is, all three of who had already seen such a display before… It still seemed wild. Bulma had tamed the beast. Vegeta didn't appear evil any longer. They could see it in his face and in the way he genuinely cared for Bulma.

Vegeta noticed their gawks and turned in their direction, glowering at them. They quickly averted their gazes, lest they face the Prince's wrath.

Vegeta's hard glare set a trigger in Bulma and without thinking, she immediately pounced on him like a wild lioness, pinning him to the ground and holding him down with her hands on his shoulders, smirking. His eyes widened, but not to the same extent as everyone else who looked on. They were absolutely stunned at Bulma's move and were waiting apprehensively to see how Vegeta would react to such an abrupt, unexpected and perhaps suicidal move on her part, all the while praying that Bulma would come out of this unscathed – some of them knew better, however.

After a moment, Vegeta frowned at her.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked, in a deceptively calm tone.

Bulma simply giggled in response.

"Oh, you think playing with fire is funny, do you?" Vegeta asked, maintaining his low tone and stoic expression.

"Honestly… Yeah… I do." Bulma replied, grinning.

Vegeta grinned back, baring his fangs at her, which made her shudder in apprehension. He then bent one elbow joint of hers, using his inner forearm, causing her to lose her balance, before easily flipping her over, quickly reversing their positions, so now it was he who was straddling her. Bulma gasped, but soon began chuckling and Vegeta chuckled back after a while and brought his forehead down to hers, their noses adjacent and lips a hairs-breadth from one-another.

"I love you…" Bulma said softly out of nowhere, after a while, her lips brushing against his. Vegeta lightly pressed his lips to hers. The others heard her faintly and gaped at the duo, never having expected Bulma to openly confess her feelings to Vegeta, nor Vegeta to respond in such a passionate manner – definitely not with all of them witnessing their every move. Unbeknownst to them, Bulma just wasn't concentrating at all on her surroundings and was only focused on Vegeta and vice-versa.

"Jeez… Get a room you two…" Yamcha commented, laughingly… The others laughed whole-heartedly at his joke.

Vegeta was brought out of his reverie and looked in the scar-faced warrior's direction, immediately realizing what he was doing. He got up off Bulma, scowled at the others and headed inside Kame House to meditate. He needed to get away from those gawking idiots as soon as possible.

Bulma's face was flushed as she realized what she had been doing…

"Yamcha… You don't really seem… you know… all that disappointed… by all this…" Krillin observed.

Yamcha looked at him.

"Nah… I'm cool with it." He said, "Bulma and I are friends and we always will be, but nothing more… I've learned to accept that for a while now and honestly… I'm okay with it."

Krillin merely shrugged his shoulders, but on the inside, he admired Yamcha's ability to simply make light of losing someone like Bulma. If it were him, he'd walk barefoot through a million miles of barbed wire, just to get a whiff of Bulma's hair. Goku smiled inwardly, glad that everything was all right between the two ex-partners.

"Gosh… They're more into each other than I thought." Chi-Chi commented, upon seeing Bulma and Vegeta's little exchange.

"You can say that again…" Naomi concurred.

Bulma walked over to the rest of the crew, who were all more or less gathered together.

"Bulma, you must be really strong…" Jethro said.

"Yeah… How were you able to pin down Vegeta like that?" Hunter asked.

Bulma blushed a little and laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

"Well… He taught me a lot about surprise attacks and all…" She replied. "It's not too hard to catch someone off guard when they least expect it… If you know the right maneuvers, that is…"

"Wow… That's awesome!" Jethro beamed.

"Do you think you're… stronger than me, Bulma?" Chi-Chi asked.

Bulma looked at her, for a moment.

"Just curious…" The raven haired woman elaborated, "I'm not suggesting anything."

"I don't know, Chi-Chi…" Bulma replied, her index finger placed on her chin in thought, "Last time I saw you fight was when you battled Goku in the world martial-arts tournament… If you're as fast as you were then… I'd say fifty-fifty… I'd give you the edge over me in speed, but since I can fly and to some level, control Ki, I probably have the upper hand in that department…"

Chi-Chi sighed despondently.

"Then I guess you're stronger… Truth is I've barely trained since Gohan was born." She admitted, "It would take at least a few months for me to get back to the level I was back when I was eighteen… I spend so much time cooking, cleaning, buying groceries and keeping the house neat and tidy that I barely have time for anything else. Most of my free time I'm just far too exhausted to train."

"Wow… You fought in the world martial-arts tournament?" Hunter asked.

Chi-Chi looked at him and nodded.

"Well, Chi-Chi," Bulma began suggesting, "How about we spar sometime? That'll help you improve your skills…"

"That sounds like a lot of fun, Bulma…" Chi-Chi said, "But how will I find time, especially since Goku's going to teach me to fly and all?"

"We don't have to spar right away…" She said, "I'll give you about say… two months to get back into shape and everything… As far as housekeeping goes, how about I give you a few Capsule Corporation robots to help you out – that sound good?"

"I don't know Bulma…" Chi-Chi said, "It just doesn't seem right."

"It's fine Chi-Chi…" Bulma replied, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You, Goku and Gohan are like family to me… No I take that back – you are family to me, so try not to think anything of it."

Chi-Chi's entire being was filled with a deep sense of warmness upon hearing Bulma say that, which showed when she smiled at her friend.

"I can't thank you enough Bulma…" She said.

"No problem…" Bulma said, smirking, "Don't get your hopes up though… I'll be training real hard too…"

"All the better." Chi-Chi said, smirking back.

"Hey… Mind if I join you two…" Master Roshi said, a salacious grin etched on his face, "I think I could improve my skills a little myself… I am getting old and rusty, if you know what I mean, hehe… So? What'll it be ladies?"

Both women glared daggers at him, knowing his ill-intent and as he was about to retreat, Bulma thought up an appropriate retort.

"I don't know Roshi…" She said, feigning innocence, "You'd have to clear it up with Vegeta first… I'm sure he won't mind."

Master Roshi suddenly had fear and dread written all over his face.

"No, no…" He said, "On second thought, I can get a little work done with Krillin."

Bulma grinned victoriously, upon hearing his response.

"Wow, Bulma…" Chi-Chi said, "Vegeta's so protective when it comes to you… It's just amazing. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Well, it's how the Prince treats his Princess." She replied, winking at Chi-Chi.

Chi-Chi chuckled a little.

"Gosh, Bulma…" Yamcha said, "You two are perfect for each other!"

The others looked at him as if he'd just grown a second head.

"You mean it?" Bulma said, smiling, "Aw… thanks Yamcha…"

"Yeah… You're both spoiled, stubborn, unpredictable, self-absorbed, conceited, obnoxious and extremely bad-tempered …" He said, smirking and knowing that he was riling Bulma up… big time, "Now I see why I could never measure up!"

Bulma's face contorted in rage and she chased after Yamcha, following his retreating figure around the Island, while the latter kept laughing. All the others on the island clutched their stomachs with their hands, guffawing like crazy… except the all-too-serious Piccolo, although on the inside, he too find that joke in particular, kind of funny, despite not showing it…

Roshi used this opportunity to lay his hands on Naomi's bosom… His approaches towards Bulma and Chi-Chi weren't going very well as of late, so he may as well try someone new. Besides, she seemed to be in about the same league as those two anyway… in terms of beauty, that is. Roshi succeeded and kept squeezing her breasts softly for a short while, as he laughed his usual perverted laugh. Naomi could barely move, absolutely disgusted and appalled, but after a while she screamed and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. Roshi flew a couple yards left and landed face first on the floor in a completely undignified and humiliating manner, while Naomi covered her chest with her hands, protectively.

Vegeta headed outside exasperatedly, having been jolted from his trance by the excessively loud screeching noise. Bulma who had Yamcha pinned to the ground and was choking the life out of him, not too far away, got up and headed towards the others too.

"What's going on?" Bulma asked.

"That… that old…" Naomi began, completely terrified and unable to finish her sentence. No one had ever done that to her before all her life.

By now Vegeta had come outside and saw Roshi on the floor behind Bulma. The old master was about to get up when Vegeta suddenly appeared in front of him.

"What did you do old man?!" He demanded threateningly. Roshi cringed and retreated backwards a little, still on the floor.

Bulma turned around and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay Vegeta…" She said reassuringly, "He didn't lay a hand on me… It was Naomi…"

Vegeta turned around and saw Naomi looking terrified and understood what had taken place.

Turtle, who was nearby, put a flipper over his eyes and shook his head in utter disappointment.

"Hey… It's okay Naomi." Bulma said, turning around and putting a hand on her shoulder, "That's just the way he acts… He has no shame around women."

Naomi, still looking terror-stricken, nodded slowly. Yamcha, who had recovered from Bulma's vicious assault and made his way next to Naomi, draped his arm around her shoulders.

"It's okay…" He said reassuringly, rubbing her shoulder. Normally when Master Roshi behaved that way with Bulma or Chi-Chi it seemed comedic, but Naomi's expression of horror just took away any aspect of humor from his antics. He frowned at his master, "He won't do it again… Will you master?"

Roshi was stunned, seeing the seriousness in Yamcha's expression.

"Uh… no." He replied instinctively, taken aback by the way Yamcha was speaking. He'd never heard his former student take on a tone quite like that or appear that solemn before, except with his enemies.

Goku was puzzled by Naomi's response. All Master Roshi did was touch her chest. It wasn't like he hurt her in any way, although the move was somewhat questionable, in his eyes.

"Master… You really have to stop doing that." Krillin commented, "It's so juvenile. Act your age already…"

Roshi turned to him and merely nodded his head slowly.

"By the way…" Bulma said and observed Yamcha and Naomi, "Have you two… gotten together yet?"

The two of them both blushed and he took his unwound his arm from around Naomi's shoulder.

"Uh… No… It's nothing like that Bulma…" He said sheepishly, unable to think of anything else.

"Well… I think you should…" She said, a thoughtful expression on her face, "You should probably move in together and settle down, if you ask me… It'll make both your lives a whole lot easier."

"Bulma!" Naomi exclaimed, embarrassedly.

"What?" She said, face etched with seriousness, "You don't have to right away… Just take your time with it. I honestly think you'll be happy with one-another."

Yamcha mused for a moment.

"Well… What do you think?" He asked Naomi, turning in her direction.

"Yeah… That'd be perfect, Yamcha…" Jethro beamed, "We can learn a lot faster that way…"

"Yeah… Please do it Yamcha!" Hunter concurred.

Jasmine too agreed.

"Well?" He asked, smiling at Naomi, knowing he'd just about won.

She sighed.

"Alright…" She said, now all but recovered from the trauma of being touched by Roshi. "But not straight away… We'll have to spend time making plans."

Yamcha laughed abashedly and scratched the back of his head.

"Well… Will you go out with me then?" He asked, hopeful.

Naomi was taken aback by the question and thought for a moment.

"Well… Why not?" She said, smiling. Truth is she missed being acquainted with Yamcha, although she couldn't quite find it in herself to make a move all these weeks, despite Bulma's advice. She was waiting for Yamcha to do it, unaware that the scar-faced warrior just didn't have it in him to ask her on a date, after what he did, even though Bulma did forgive him… But this did make for the right opportunity, thus he took it.

Yamcha smiled back at her and beamed inwardly.

Vegeta merely scoffed.

"Humans…" He commented.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Yamcha asked, frowning at the Prince.

"Your race is just so bizarre…" He replied.

"Wait… You're not human?" Naomi asked.

Vegeta shook his head and before the discussion could continue, Bulma explained everything about Saiyans, leaving out the parts about genocide and slavery and also explained that both Goku and Vegeta were Saiyans.

"That's why you're so strong…" Jethro asked.

"Well… Saiyans were the mightiest race of warriors in the Universe." Vegeta answered, smirking.

"Is there any other 'Saiyans'?" Hunter asked.

"No… The bastard we worked, named Frieza, destroyed us all along with our whole planet…" He answered, "We grew more and more powerful with every battle and he was afraid that soon the legendary Super Saiyan would be born to rise up and overthrow him… So he wiped us all out like the coward he is and now, Kakarot and I are all that's left… It was too bad for him though. His worst nightmare came to pass and a Saiyan defeated him in battle… Too bad that Saiyan wasn't me though…"

"He must've been really strong…" Jethro said.

"Maybe so, but he was still a shameless coward…" Vegeta said, "If only I could meet him now, I'd rip his face open and tear him limb from limb!"

"So, w-who b-beat him?" Hunter asked, slightly shocked at Vegeta abruptly voicing his bloodthirsty desire.

"Kakarot did!" He said, eyes narrowed and a hint of ire evident from his response.

"So what's the 'legendary Super Saiyan'?" Asked Naomi, curiously.

Vegeta explained everything about the Super Saiyan to the trio and that Kakarot was able to achieve this power when he battled Frieza.

"Oh… But there doesn't seem to be much difference in your strengths." Jethro commented.

"Well, I can't transform into a Super Saiyan yet…" He answered, "Kakarot can… When he's in that form, I'm no match for him, but once I ascend, I'll be far stronger than he is."

Goku was standing close by and heard everything. Truth is, he was surprised at Vegeta admitting that last little bit of information, even if he had to end it in his own favor.

"Could you show us?" Jethro asked Goku, hopeful. Both he and Hunter just had to see what Vegeta meant by 'Super Saiyan'.

"Well sure…" He replied with a goofy smile on his face, "Brace yourselves everyone…"

Goku began powering up slowly at first.

Vegeta stood his spot and held Bulma closely, who told Jasmine to come close to her. Yamcha gestured for Naomi and her brothers to fall back and he followed them, holding them all tightly, in place and vice-versa, while they glanced in Goku's direction.

Goku's power shot up higher and higher and he roared as his hair slowly changed from black to gold and his eyes flickered from onyx to teal, back and forth, until finally, with a loud roar, his head faced the sky, as an awe-inspiring golden aura surrounded him, tendrils of gold were wound around him and he had gold hair and teal eyes.

As he was powering up, everything on the island kept flying in all directions and some trees began to uproot, much to Roshi's dread. Turtle flew into the water, several miles away and everyone, besides Vegeta, Bulma, by his side and Jasmine who held tightly onto her as well as Piccolo, barely held their positions… Even Gohan with all his might, was finding it difficult to keep himself and his mother steady. The ground shook and the house looked like it was about to topple, but Goku tried keeping as much control of his radical power as he could, so as to avoid damaging anything or injuring anyone.

The others looked at him wide-eyed, except Vegeta, who knew from their last battle, just how powerful his rival would be as a Super-Saiyan.

"Amazing… He's untouchable!" Gohan said.

"You can say that again…" Piccolo concurred.

"I never expected him to be that strong… No way!" Tien said.

All the others were speechless. Vegeta had both arms draped around Bulma, holding her tight as she nuzzled into his chest, while Jasmine wrapped herself firmly onto Bulma's leg.

Once the storm was over, Goku was still powered up as the golden aura surrounded him. Everyone who weren't close by ran over to him soon and were stunned at the awesome figure they saw before them. Even Oolong, Puar and the elder Briefs who were in the house had now come out to see what was happening.

"Who… who are you?" Hunter asked.

"It's me… Goku." He replied smiling, "This is my Super Saiyan form…"

"Wow… That's amazing!" Jethro exclaimed.

"So this is a Super Saiyan…" Dr. Brief said. "Pretty damn crazy… I've never seen anything like it… The amount of energy you're producing could probably run the entire planet for decades…"

Goku laughed sheepishly.

Vegeta grit his teeth.

"You think that's powerful Kakarot?!" He groused and then pointed his index finger towards his rival, "Just wait till I transform and beat you into the dirt!"

"Hey, you can at least give him some credit you big jerk!" Chi-Chi exclaimed.

"Oh I will…" Vegeta said, "Provided I don't clubber him with minimal effort when we battle as Super Saiyans."

"What makes you so sure that'll ever happen?!" Chi-Chi asked angrily.

Before Vegeta could go berserk on her, Bulma spoke, not wanting there to be another verbal war between the two of them.

"He will be a Super Saiyan Chi-Chi…" Bulma said, eyes narrowed, "You should know better than to underestimate him… Even Goku knows that."

"And when you do, Vegeta…" Goku said, smirking, "I'll be waiting…"

"Just make sure you're in peak condition when I send you falling down…" Vegeta said, smirking back.

"That's won't happen!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, "Just you watch… Goku will be stronger than ever!"

"Well… I just hope he doesn't bore me…" Vegeta said.

"You know it's funny…" Piccolo said, smirking, "The more you two try and surpass each other the better our chances of survival… Those androids will be turned into scrap metal when they arrive."

"Yeah… Dad and Vegeta will show them who's boss!" Gohan beamed.

"Androids?" Asked Naomi.

"I'll explain what he means some other time." Yamcha replied.

"Hey… Since your father's an alien… That means your half alien too, right?" Jethro asked Gohan.

"Yeah…" He said, "But I'm half human as well… Plus my dad and I have been raised as Earthlings all our lives."

"So that's why you're so strong?" Hunter asked.

Gohan nodded.

"Half breeds usually have enormous natural powers…" Vegeta commented, "But they do not have the same drive for battle that pure-bloods like myself and Kakarot have…"

"Really… I never knew that Vegeta." Goku said, "I guess that explains why Gohan's been able to surprise us in battle so often…"

"Listen here, buster!" Chi-Chi yelled at Goku, "Gohan will grow up to be a scholar! The moment those androids fall, he'll never train again in his life!"

"Okay, okay, Chi-Chi, I get it…" Goku replied, waving his hands defensively.

"Hmph…" Vegeta said, "What a waste… The moment my child's old enough to walk, I'm going to train it to be the most powerful warrior in the Universe…"

Bulma frowned at her Prince.

"Hey, wait just a minute!" She exclaimed, "You can't train it that soon… Give it a little time to grow!"

The others looked on wide-eyed, except those who already knew.

"Ch-Ch-Child?" Chi-Chi asked.

Vegeta smacked his forehead… Now he'd gone and done it… They knew everything.

"B-Bulma?" Gohan asked.

Bulma sighed… It was too late, so she may as well tell them.

"That's right…" She relented, "I'm carrying…"

Everyone was stunned at the revelation, except for those already aware.

'Nice job Vegeta…' Goku thought to his rival, sarcastically.

'Oh shut-up Kakarot…' He replied, 'It doesn't matter anymore…'

'Then why tell me to keep it a secret?'

'Let's just forget about it okay?!' He groused, 'It's too late anyway.'

'Oh… By the way…' Goku said, remembering something important, 'Piccolo's been eavesdropping on us since we first spoke… Just thought you should know… Nameks can do all kinds of things. He can even hear us right now… But don't worry… He won't say anything.'

Vegeta's eyes widened and he turned towards Piccolo. Piccolo smirked at him.

'What's the matter?' Piccolo thought to him, 'Surprised?'

Vegeta gnashed his teeth at the Namekian warrior and Piccolo's smirk merely turned into a grin.

'P-P-Piccolo?' Bulma asked… She too had heard the news.

Piccolo chuckled inwardly.

'And that's the last time you'll underestimate a Namek.'

'Wait… You cannot possibly hear the dialogue between just me and her, can you?' Vegeta asked.

'I don't know…' Piccolo replied.

Vegeta closed his mental wall to everyone except his mate and asked the first question that came to mind.

'Whom do you prefer: brainless people, harpies or old lechers?'

Bulma fell on the floor laughing hysterically with her hands clutching her stomach, knowing exactly who Vegeta was talking about in each instance.

"A-Are you okay… Bulma?" Chi-Chi asked.

'Neither of you idiots heard that, did you?' Vegeta asked Goku and Piccolo, mentally.

'Heard what?' Goku asked.

'Well?' Vegeta turned to the Namek.

Piccolo merely shook his head and Vegeta sighed inwardly.

'I guess you aren't as good as you thought, Namek…' Vegeta noted.

Piccolo merely grimaced at him and Vegeta smirked.

"God, Vegeta…" Bulma laughed and got back up, "You crack me up…"

"Bulma… are you pregnant or are you crazy?" Chi-Chi asked.

"Well… I guess both…" She replied.

"Uh… right." Chi-Chi said confusedly, "So you're really having a child with Vegeta?"

Bulma nodded her head. Everyone, except those aware beforehand, began crowding around her. Vegeta vanished and reappeared, standing in front of Bulma protectively.

"Vegeta it's all right…" Bulma said reassuringly.

"So… Any problems?" Vegeta asked the others, narrowing his eyes.

"No offense Vegeta… But are you really going to be a… father?" Asked Krillin, putting emphasis on the word 'you'.

Vegeta snarled at him and the bald warrior retreated a few steps.

"Vegeta will be the best father ever, just you watch!" Bulma exclaimed confidently.

"If training your child to death means being the best father… then yeah." Chi-Chi replied.

Bulma frowned angrily at Chi-Chi.

"Didn't your father train you when you were just a little girl, Chi-Chi?!" She asked.

"Well, yeah… but-"

"But nothing… Don't be a hypocrite Chi-Chi!" Bulma yelled, "Vegeta trains me and he's never hurt me or put me in any kind of danger! I know for a fact that he won't let anything bad happen to the kid or me! I don't even know why I'm defending him to you! It's not like I care what you or anyone else thinks!"

Vegeta smiled inwardly hearing Bulma's words… She put him before anyone and everyone and refused to tolerate it when he was insulted. The others, however, were surprised more than ever at the way Bulma came to Vegeta's defense.

"Sorry Bulma… I didn't mean to offend… Really…" Chi-Chi relented, looking downwards. She shouldn't have insulted Vegeta that way, right after discovering that he and Bulma were having a child. She then turned to face Vegeta. "And sorry… Vegeta."

Vegeta was stunned, upon hearing her apologize to him.

"Whatever…" He said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

Bulma suddenly felt horrible for having yelled at Chi-Chi and remembered how several weeks back, she was among the few who defended Vegeta and even suggested that he and Bulma get together. She then put a hand on Chi-Chi's shoulder.

"It's all right Chi-Chi…" She said, smiling warmly, "I'm sorry for overreacting like that…"

"That's okay, Bulma…" Chi-Chi replied softly and after a while, found it in her to smile back. She then thought for a moment. "So have you found out if it's a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know…" Bulma said and then beamed, "But I'll bet anything it'll be a girl… Beautiful and smart like me and powerful like Vegeta…"

Vegeta put his hand on Bulma's belly and closed his eyes for a moment. He then opened them.

"It's a boy…" He said, smirking.

"What?!" Bulma exclaimed.

"You heard me…" He replied.

"Don't worry Bulma…" Chi-Chi smiled, "If he's anything like Gohan, he won't be too hard on you."

"Yeah, I hope the kid's just like you Gohan…" Bulma said, smiling at the young demi-Saiyan.

"Gee, thanks Bulma…" Said Gohan, smiling, "And congratulations… Both of you."

"Thanks kid…" She replied, winking at him.

"Well unlike you, his potential won't be wasted away nerding off…" Vegeta commented.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with having a passion in something other than being a big bad brute like you!" Chi-Chi yelled.

"Not if that passion's shoved down your throat by a wailing harpy…" Vegeta commented, smirking.

Chi-Chi could feel the anger building inside of her radically and within moments she would explode. Bulma immediately clutched her stomach and began laughing like crazy. The others tried their best to stifle their laughter, so as not to face Chi-Chi's wrath, but a few chuckles escaped from them here and there… Truth is, they had been somewhat irked for a long time at Chi-Chi looking at them condescendingly and seeing them as bad influences on Gohan.

When Chi-Chi saw Bulma laughing and her anger quickly turned into disappointment and dejection.

"Bulma… how could you?" She asked, visibly disheartened.

Bulma saw her look of despondence and immediately stopped laughing.

"Chi-Chi… I'm sorry…" She said, "It was just a joke… Please, don't be mad at me."

"I don't get any of you, really…" Chi-Chi said dejectedly, "What's wrong with me having dreams for my Gohan that involve something other than fighting? He's my little boy and I just want do something different for him… I want him to be safe and happy. Is that so bad? He's already seen too much violence and bloodshed as it is."

"I understand Chi-Chi…" Bulma said and put her hand on Chi-Chi's shoulder, "I'm sorry… And you're right, Gohan is your son and you have the right to raise him any way you want…"

Chi-Chi sighed dejectedly.

"Bulma…" She said, the hurt evident on her face, "I just never expected you of all people to laugh in my face like that… Not you…"

After Bulma told Chi-Chi that she saw her as family, the latter's respect and attachment to her had grown considerably and she didn't like her laughing at the aspirations she had held for Gohan ever since her young demi-Saiyan child was a babe. Her expectations for Gohan meant everything to her, especially since she spent so much time alone, very often. Thoughts of him living a peaceful and safe life as a great, well-renowned scholar or scientist, provided her comfort when little or nothing else would – those thoughts being belittled in such a horrid manner, caused her great distress.

Bulma immediately embraced Chi-Chi, one hand on the back of the head and the other gingerly rubbing her back up and down, having felt worse than ever for having put her friend into such a sorrowful state. Chi-Chi was surprised at her move, but soon embraced back.

"I'm sorry… Really… It won't happen again Chi-Chi…" She said. She kissed the side of her head and continued, "I promise…"

She let go soon after and smiled at Chi-Chi, who smiled back, knowing that Bulma never meant to hurt her like that.

Vegeta was surprised at how sensitive the harpy was, but he decided not to say anything… For some misplaced reason, he felt a little guilty for putting her in that state. He didn't know why though… Why should he care, anyway? Still, the idea of a warrior as powerful as Gohan being coddled like that… it seemed like such a waste to him. He'd seen Gohan pull seemingly impossible feats for a child his age, most notably the damage he was able to inflict on Frieza in his second and third forms… His rage made his power spike like crazy… If he trained like Kakarot and himself, Vegeta was confident that within seven or so years, he'd surpass both of them in strength, provided he was given the proper instruction. But then, he'd have that chance with his own boy, in the future… Making his child the strongest warrior in the Universe, even stronger than himself eventually, would be at the forefront of his objectives, once the androids were destroyed… He wouldn't grow up in a world like the purple-haired Saiyan boy from the future…

'Wait a second…' He thought, 'A Saiyan from the future… Could it be? No way… That's impossible… But he'd be about the right age, based on his appearance and the fact that he came twenty years from the future… He has to belong to either Kakarot or myself, since we're the only Saiyans left … Hmmm… Purple hair… The woman's father has purple hair… And now that I think about it, the boy's face looked just like mine… And for some reason he kept looking in my direction. I never even thought about all that before… Was that really my son?'

Vegeta, of course, hid these thoughts from all the others, including Bulma. He then closed his eyes and focused his energy on the unborn child's Ki signal and was stunned when he noticed the familiarity of it.

'It's him!' Vegeta thought, 'It's the boy from the future. The Ki signal's identical… That boy was my son… I can't believe it.'

Vegeta then turned to Goku.

"Kakarot!" He exclaimed, "Transport us somewhere isolated, where we're alone!"

Goku was baffled by Vegeta's demand.

"How come?" He asked.

"I'll explain when we're there!" He said, "Just do it now!"

"Wait… Are you going two going to fight again?" Chi-Chi asked apprehensively, her anger at Vegeta now all but forgotten.

"No, we're not fighting!" Vegeta groused, turning to her and then turning back to Goku, "Hurry up!"

"Okay…" Goku relented, shrugging his shoulders.

He put his hand on his rival's shoulder and the immediately teleported to somewhere private.

"Where'd they go?" Asked Bulma.

"Beats me…" Chi-Chi said, "Well, as long as they don't fight each other, it's all right."

"I guess so…" Bulma replied.

The others had now found it in them to speak, except Naomi who was still stunned at seeing Goku disappear like that…

"Wow Bulma…" Krillin said, "You're actually going to be a mom… Pretty wild, huh?"

"Yeah… I can't wait…" She said, "I guess you know why I've been so happy all this time."

"Yeah…" Krillin replied, "I never expected you to have a child with someone other than Yamcha… A while back, Vegeta would've been the last person I'd have expected to be the father of your kid… Guess I was wrong…"

"It's better this way anyway…" Bulma said, "Sometimes what we expect least turns out to be the best… Besides, both Yamcha and I are happier now and he was the first to know about the kid."

"Really?" Asked Tien, looking towards Yamcha.

"Yeah…" Yamcha said, "I was really shocked and disappointed at first… I'd never felt worse my entire life, but after a while, I guess I became okay with it… I mean, things just weren't working out between Bulma and me and I could see just how happy she was with Vegeta… She made me promise not to tell anyone, so I didn't…"

"Did the two of you know?" Krillin asked the elder Briefs.

"Of course, dear." Mrs. Brief said. The two of them were chatting away with each other the whole time, though they were paying attention to the discussion nearby. "It's going to be so great to finally be a grandmother… It's a dream come true…"

Goku transported them to a barren desert with no sign of life around.

"So, what's up Vegeta?" He asked, curiously.

The older Saiyan narrowed his eyes at him.

"I know everything…" He said.

"What do you mean?" Goku asked, confused.

"I'm not stupid Kakarot…" He replied, "I sensed my son's Ki signal… I know who he is."

Goku's eyes widened. Vegeta knew… He learned the truth… But how?

"H-H-How d-did y-you know?" He asked.

"It's simple…" He answered, "I gave it some thought…"

Vegeta explained how he was able to narrow down the identity of the purple-haired boy before finally confirming who he was… for himself.

Goku sighed.

"So I guess you know, huh?" He said.

"You knew all along…" Vegeta commented and then demanded, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I promised not to…" He said imploringly, "Trunks made me promise… It may have altered future events, so, you know…"

"Trunks?" He asked, "That's the boy's name?"

Goku immediately clamped his mouth with both hands… He had said too much by mistake.

"Trunks, huh?" He said, smirking, "I guess it's no longer a secret then…"

"Vegeta, please don't tell anyone…" Goku said, putting his hands down, "Especially Bulma…"

"And why not?" He asked, "He's her son too… She does have the right to know."

"Please, it's best she finds out later…" He said, "I have a strong feeling that Trunks will be making a return once the androids arrive… Besides, you know how bad she'll feel if she learns about the horrible world he came from and the terrible life he's had to live."

"Hmmm…" Vegeta thought for a while, "It won't be easy hiding my thoughts from her though…"

"Just do your best…" Goku insisted, "Please, Vegeta."

"Fine…" He relented.

"Thanks, Vegeta."

"Whatever."

The two then returned to Kame House.

"Oh, you're back, darling." Mrs. Brief said to Vegeta. "We were just talking about your son and how great it'll be to…"

Mrs. Brief continued chatting away, while Vegeta erected every mental barrier in his mind to prevent Bulma from honing in on his thoughts about Trunks.

Bulma noticed this and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Vegeta… What's going on?" She asked suspiciously.

"Nothing important…" He answered.

"Vegeta?" She asked impatiently, wanting for him to spill the beans.

"You'll know soon enough!" He groused, "I can't say anything right now… Just forget about it."

"Know what?" Gohan asked.

"You'll all find out later, but I can't say now…" He responded, "It's important that I keep this little bit of information concealed."

Piccolo looked at him curiously but soon suspected what had taken place.

"Goku told you?" He asked.

"No… I kind of figured it out myself and he confirmed it." Vegeta replied.

"Confirmed what?" Chi-Chi asked Goku.

"Look, Chi-Chi, a promise is a promise…" He responded, eyes narrowed, "We can't say anything… We'd be violating our oaths if we did and you know we can't do that… Besides, you'll know about it once the androids arrive."

"Fine…" Chi-Chi sighed.

"It's something that boy from the future told you, right?"

Goku panicked for a moment but did not show it. He merely nodded his head.

"Future?" Naomi asked in disbelief.

"I'll tell you about that when we get home…" Yamcha said.

"All right, fine…" Bulma said, "Can't say I'm happy about being left hanging in the air though."

"What say we go indoors?" Master Roshi suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Chi-Chi responded and they all went back inside.

A few hours passed inside Kame House, with most guests catching up amongst one-another and several of the Z fighters engaging in mind training. As Bulma, Vegeta and the elder Briefs were about to leave, a thought hit Gohan.

"I wonder wondering…" Gohan began looking towards Bulma and Vegeta, "Are the two of you… married?"

"Yeah… That reminds me…" Naomi said, "You told me a couple weeks back that you were excited about something that that something was better than marriage, but you wouldn't tell me what it was…"

Vegeta turned to Bulma's direction with one eyebrow raised expectantly.

Bulma sighed.

"Well… Should we tell them?" She asked.

Vegeta simply showed his right arm to Gohan and the others, noticing what he was doing, went to observe… They saw a neat incision mark on his arm.

"Did Bulma do that to you?" Yamcha asked, smirking, "She can be pretty rough…"

SMACK!

"Shut up Yamcha!" Bulma groused, punching him on top of the head… The others laughed their heads off… "It wasn't me okay? It was… uh… Goku…"

Everyone seized their laughter.

"Dad?" Gohan asked, looking at his father. "How come?"

Bulma then pulled her right sleeve up and also showed her incision mark. The others looked on and they were all intrigued.

"Bulma… What's it mean?" Chi-Chi asked.

"It's part of the Saiyan bonding ritual…" She said. "Remember the night I called you and asked for Goku… He was present when we bonded."

The others were completely flabbergasted. Goku was part of some weird Saiyan ritual that Vegeta had involved Bulma in?

"So that's why you were so happy that night?" Chi-Chi observed, "Goku wouldn't tell me anything…"

"Well, we kind of made him promise not to…" Bulma said.

"Well, you said something about 'bonding'." Chi-Chi said, "What does that mean?"

Bulma explained the ritual and how it meant that their bodies, souls and spirits were woven together for all eternity.

"Wow… So that's what it was…" Naomi said, "Really sounds like something."

"Making a commitment like that so quickly, though…" Krillin said, "Seems a little rushed, don't you think?"

"I guess so…" She answered and then changed her tone into one of sureness, "But I know it was the right decision… In fact, it was the best decision I've ever made…"

"So it's a lot like marriage…" Gohan commented, "Only much deeper, I guess…"

"It's strange though…" Krillin said, "I mean, you can't separate no matter what… Don't you think-"

"We never want to be separated Krillin!" Bulma interrupted, grousing, which caused Krillin to retreat a little… She then sighed and softened her tone, looking up at the ceiling, "Vegeta told me everything and laid all the cards on the table… I knew exactly what I was getting myself into and I knew that that was what I wanted… I'll never regret my decision, period… Besides, it goes both ways… He can't separate from me either."

Vegeta would've said something, but at the moment he was much too engrossed thinking about a certain purple-haired boy from the future that happened to be his son. Funny thing is that at the time he was suspicious of the idea of Trunks even being a Saiyan, much less his own spawn… But it was still his son, who killed Frieza and King Cold… Just the thoughts of it made him feel proud. The tyrant that had held him in bondage his whole life met his end at the hands of his own flesh and blood. His child would've been in his teens and yet he was a Super Saiyan – the Super Saiyan who destroyed Frieza. Kakarot may have been the one who defeated him, but Trunks finished both him and his father off… easily too. But he himself still hadn't attained this power… the power of the Super Saiyan… Spending many weeks unleashing the primal power, which was now coursing through his veins, had delayed this goal, but it didn't matter… His efforts may have been slowed, but it was more than worth it, because now he'd be far stronger as a Super Saiyan… stronger than Kakarot and stronger than any other Saiyan in a thousand years or more. But he still needed to work on his mind training as well… He needed to find a way to permanently hide any and all thoughts of Trunks from Bulma, without completely shutting off his mental link with her. He didn't know how yet, but he would find a way.

"What's on your mind, Vegeta?" Bulma asked, smiling at him.

Vegeta was jolted out of his thoughts.

"Nothing… I'm just thinking about how to train more effectively to reach my goal…" He answered, after collecting himself.

"Oh… You mean Super Saiyan?" Gohan asked.

"What else?" Vegeta answered.

"As scary as it sounds…" Goku began, "I must admit, the challenge of fighting you as a Super Saiyan just seems so… exhilarating…"

"You may not feel that way when you're being pummeled Kakarot…" Vegeta said, smirking, "Besides, I have a feeling it may take a while, yet…"

"How long do you think?" Goku asked.

"By my estimate…" Vegeta began, "It should be around 2 months…"

"Really?" Goku asked, looking disheartened, "Oh man… Sounds so long…"

"You shouldn't be so disappointed Kakarot…" Vegeta said, grinning, "In fact, you should be cherishing these moments for soon I, not you, will be the most powerful warrior in the Universe…"

"God… talk about ego." Yamcha noted, "No wonder Bulma's so into you…"

SMACK!

Bulma once again punched Yamcha on top of the head, while the others just laughed. Vegeta merely rolled his eyes, not wanting to waste time arguing with him… For some reason scar-face didn't bother him nearly as much as he used to and he didn't exactly find his comments all that demeaning or distasteful.

"You know, it's moments like these that truly count… Us being together, and all…" Master Roshi said, "I just hope that the time arrives, you'll all be prepared to take care of those androids, so we won't have to worry about the Earth's fate any longer…"

Naomi and her siblings turned to Yamcha expectantly.

"When we get home…" He stated, simply.

"It's thinking like that that got us all killed in the world that boy came from…" Vegeta commented after considering Master Roshi's words, "The moment we drop our guards, our enemies will have the edge over us… If the androids do fall, what will you do? Continue slacking off, while the next threat comes along and wipes you away when you least expect it? The only way this planet will survive is if we continue training like the world's going to end the next day."

Most of the other Z fighters were stunned at Vegeta's words. He used the word "our" and "we", as if all of them truly were on the same side and he sounded concerned about the planet's fate. They knew it now, for certain… They had a new ally on their side and the most powerful one they could possibly want… It gave them all a revitalized sense of reassurance. Vegeta was one of them and from the sounds of it, he would soon be the strongest of them – possibly more powerful than even Goku.

"Vegeta's right…" Tien said, "I've never given up or slowed down on training my entire life and I never will…"

"You all can do what you want…" Chi-Chi said, "But the moment those androids fall, my Gohan's going to right back to his studies… He's long overdue already."

"Seems like a waste if you ask me…" Vegeta said, "The rest of you may not know, but baldy, the Namek and myself witnessed the moves he was able to pull on Frieza… His natural abilities far exceed either Kakarot or myself… But if you really want to waste all that, be my guest…"

"Baldy?" Naomi asked.

"Uh… That'd be me…" Krillin answered, putting his hand up.

The others laughed.

"And the Namek's Piccolo by the way." Yamcha whispered, pointing to Piccolo.

Gohan was stunned hearing Vegeta praise him that way… All of a sudden, he felt the urge to just train relentlessly like never before and prove himself in the Saiyan Prince's eyes… His respect and admiration for the older warrior grew deeply after hearing those words.

"I don't want to waste anything!" Chi-Chi slightly yelled in response to Vegeta's statement, "I just want him to live a safe, successful and happy life, end of story!"

"Whatever…" Vegeta said, "He's not my kid anyway…"

"Truth is, I have always dreamed of the day Gohan would be stronger than me…" Goku said, smiling. He too felt extremely proud of his son after hearing Vegeta praise him that way, "But it's only right that Chi-Chi gets her say as well… How about this Chi-Chi? Why not let Gohan train and be a scholar? That's not so bad, is it?"

"I am letting him train!" Chi-Chi yelled, "Two more years of training and then he goes right back to his studies and that's final!"

"Vegeta and dad are right, mom…" Gohan said, "I never thought about it before, but it's why Piccolo trained me in the first place… He wanted to bring out my hidden powers, because he knew that if I trained hard enough, our chances of survival would be a whole lot greater… And he was right… If Piccolo hadn't done that, where would we be then, huh? We'd all be dead, including me… How can I be a scholar if I'm dead? Thanks to Piccolo, I learned how to fight and because of that we're all still alive…"

Piccolo smiled inwardly at the warrior spirit he felt was resonating inside of his young pupil.

Chi-Chi felt defeated, after hearing Gohan's words… How could she possibly argue with that?

"Well…" She said, sighing, "I don't know… I've always dreamt of you being a great scholar and nothing's going to change that, but I guess I can let you train a little… But you have to promise me that you'll catch up on all your studies as soon as all this is over and that you'll stay on top of everything got it? And I never ever want you in any danger…"

"Sure thing mom, it's a promise…" Gohan smiled, grabbing his mother around the waist…

Chi-Chi smiled back and tussled his hair.

"You've made us all proud Gohan…" Said Tien, "And I know you'll never let us down…"

"Say Tien, I was wondering…" Master Roshi began, "Whatever happened to Launch? I really wanted her to be here as well… I know that big Ox is sick and everything, so he couldn't make it…"

"Big Ox?" Naomi asked.

"Oh, he's talking about my father, the Ox King…" Chi-Chi answered.

"Well, I'm not sure Master…" Tien replied, "I haven't heard from her since I came back and I've been far too occupied in training to really think about much else."

"Hmmm… I see…" Master Roshi said, "Well… Would you mind spending a little while tracking her down? It's possible that she still thinks you're dead… Don't you think that's bad? She might be living a life plagued with depression, as far as we know…"

Tien suddenly felt terror-stricken. He'd never even thought of that… Launch must have learned of his death and still may have had no idea that he had returned. Perhaps that's why she never approached him, as she usually would… He felt pangs of guilt all over… Why hadn't he taken the time to consider her situation?

"Of course master…" He said, "I'll get right on it, starting tomorrow…"

"Who the hell is Launch?" Asked Vegeta.

Bulma explained who Launch was.

"I see…"

After chatting for a while longer, everyone returned to their respective homes after saying their goodbyes. This truly was a day well spent – a day worth remembering, for all of them. It was times like these that they all truly cherished… being together, amongst friends.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: ****Vegetaisabadass - Thanks for the review! Goku will become far stronger in the later chapters as you'll find out... It won't always be this way. The main reason he did not catch up was Vegeta's mind-training, which allowed him to delve into a new power - but later on Goku will find a similar source of power... Stay tuned!**

Chapter 44: Departure

Bulma, Vegeta and the elder Briefs were on their way home in the CC 576 airplane. The elder Briefs sat in the front seats, while Bulma and Vegeta were in the back.

A voice kept niggling in the back of Vegeta's mind, a darkness within him that suddenly made itself apparent.

'You've become one of them… You've been domesticated…' It said, 'What a fool you are…'

'Shut up… Get out of my head…'

'Imagine if your father saw you now… Just imagine his disappointment…'

'My father was a weakling compared to me… He gave me away to Frieza. I'd die before I did something like that to my son… So what if he tried to rescue me afterwards? He failed and got killed. I ended up an orphan and a slave to that filthy lizard, with no planet, no kingdom and no race…'

'You're nothing… You've gone soft… Frieza would be laughing if he saw how you've turned out…'

'Frieza can burn in hell… Oh I forgot, he already is… I could care less what that bastard thinks or what you think… Now get lost…'

'Weakling… You're nothing but a weakling and a slave to a puny weak Earth woman…'

Vegeta chuckled inwardly.

'Last I checked I'm far more powerful than I've ever been… I'm superior to you in every way… You served your purpose in helping me survive under Frieza, but I no longer have any use for you… Frieza's dead and you can go die with him…'

'You're still a slave… You always were and you always will be… Only this time, you're a slave to someone far weaker than you…'

'I'm not her slave… I'm her Prince and she's my Princess… I dictate my own actions. I'm free now and I'll always be free…'

'Poor little Prince… You fell in love with a disgusting inferior being… She should be licking your boots… They should all be…'

'Hmph… If I did things your way, I'd still be hateful, spiteful and jealous, not to mention far weaker than I am now… I've finally surpassed Kakarot's base strength and it's because of her… All you ever did was hold me back… You can say what you want about her, but she's everything to me… You're nothing…'

'You call yourself a Prince? You're a disgrace to the Saiyans…'

'The Saiyans were the ones who disgraced themselves… The most powerful race of warriors in the Universe chose to be slaves to a disgusting, despicable lizard… They brought doom upon themselves by choosing a coward like Frieza to dictate their actions… They should've known better… I will redeem them... I will redeem their sins and my own…'

'You've become associated with a third-class fool, these weak Earthling dogs and that pitiable Namek cretin… How sickening…'

'That third-class fool defeated Frieza… He succeeded where the rest of us failed, myself included… And if I remember correctly his father was also supposedly a third class and yet he was second in strength only to my father, among the Saiyans… I guess it just goes to show how terrible the Saiyan rating system is… or was…'

'You're one of them now… How dare you call yourself the Saiyan Prince, when you've chosen to befriend a low-class plebian dog raised on Earth, who should be licking the soles of your feet?'

'So what? I could care less… Besides, he's the only pureblood, other than me… He avenged our race and he's proven himself trustworthy in my eyes… Now go to hell… I do not belong to you anymore… I belong to her and she belongs to me…'

The voice silenced. (A/N: Inspired largely by the Golum/Smeagol conflict in LOTR).

Bulma could hear the conflict within Vegeta, whose mental walls were unintentionally lowered at that moment… Since his thoughts weren't dwelling on the purple-haired boy, he didn't exactly need them erect. Bulma heard Vegeta overpower the darkness within him… He vanquished it… He could see the light now and he chose her over the evil brewing within him… It was an easy choice for him… She felt prouder of him than ever before.

Bulma put a hand on his and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling.

"I'll always love you, Vegeta… Always…" She said softly. "Never forget that…"

The four of them arrived home soon after.

Yamcha arrived home and explained to Naomi and the others about the Dragon Balls, the boy from the future and the threat of the androids… He also explained in detail about the history of the Z fighters and how they'd all gotten together, hoping that they would no longer be in the dark the next time they were all gathered together and discussed things amongst themselves.

The next day, Tien and Chiaotzu spent time searching for Launch, whom they eventually found by the time the sky was dark, after asking questions to some locals around places where she'd been known to rob banks. She was in a bar, drinking herself to death, the blonde half of her anyway…

Tien approached her.

"Launch?"

Launch turned to him, completely dazed…

"Go away… Tien… Stop botherin'… me…" She said, "You're… dead."

Tien put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Launch… I should've told you the moment I came back…" He said, "I didn't think this would happen…"

"Told me what?" She asked, "That you're a ghost? I already know that… now quit haun'in' me…"

"I'm real… I'm still alive…"

"Shut-up… SHUT UP!" She shouted, afterwards, getting up from her chair and collapsing on Tien's chest, while whacking her fists on it and sobbing all over him…

Tien knew this was going nowhere… She was completely whacked out on alcohol.

"Sorry about this Launch." He said and knife-handed her on the back of the neck, instantly knocking her out.

"Hey, what's the meanin' o' dis?!" Demanded the bar man.

Tien ignored him and cradled Launch into his arms.

"Come on Chiaotzu…"

Chiaotzu nodded and followed Tien out the door.

"Hey, get back 'ere… She ain't paid!" The barman shouted.

Tien simply pulled out a 1000 Zenii bill and flicked it so it landed precisely on the table where Launch was drinking beer… The barman's eyes widened.

"Don't you want change?" He asked.

Tien shook his head and left the bar, along with Chiaotzu and Launch…

The next day Launch woke up with a severe headache and sat up, holding a hand to her head… Tien had brought her to the cabin where he and Chiaotzu resided, which they had constructed in the cold snowy mountains in the northern region of the planet.

"Oh God… My head…" She said, her head throbbing with indescribable pain.

"Launch… You're awake!" Tien said, smiling, crouching down.

She looked at him and her eyes widened.

"Am I… dead?" She asked.

"No…" He answered, "We're both alive, Launch…"

"I must be goin' crazy…" She said, putting her fingers on her forehead.

"You're not crazy Launch…" Tien responded, "I was wished back with the dragon balls… I'll explain everything."

Tien explained it all to her. She felt hurt all over – hurt that Tien had never come to her and had left her in such a sorrowful, pitiful state for over two years. But another part of her felt relieved... She was relieved more than ever that the one man she loved was still alive.

"I don't expect you to forgive me Launch…" Tien said, "But I never meant to hurt you… And if you want, you can live here with Chiaotzu and myself…"

"Spare me Tien…" She said coldly, face etched with disappointment and dejection, "You're just sayin' that cause you wanna make me feel better… You don't really want me here…"

Tien sighed.

"No Launch, I do want you here, it's just that…"

Tien explained everything about the androids to her and how he needed to train in order to prepare for their arrival. Launch felt somewhat relieved after hearing that, but then a thought hit her.

"But you found that out a year ago…" She said, "You been alive longer than that… How could you leave me hangin' all that time?"

"I… I don't know… I made a terrible mistake…" He said, "I forgot about you, but it won't happen again… I promise I'll make it up to you…"

"Tien… You know that I… I…" Launch began, unable to finish.

"I know Launch…" He said, "But I'm a warrior… It's hard for me to feel these things… But for you… I might try…"

Launch fell on Tien, embracing him and sobbing all over his chest.

"I'm so glad you're okay Tien…" She said, as she sobbed all over him and let out all her tears of joy and relief.

Tien was taken aback by the move… He'd never been in such close proximity to a woman before, but he placed a hand on her back. He was glad that Launch would no longer be drinking herself to death… That reminded him… He looked to Chiaotzu, who was surprised… Neither of them had acted that way towards each other before. Tien made a head gesture to Chiaotzu, who understood what he was asking. He went to prepare a hangover remedy meal for Launch.

Tien then began rubbing her back Launch's eyes widened when she felt him doing that… She looked up and saw Tien's face… He had a blush tinted on his cheeks, when he noticed her seeing him. Launch smirked and immediately pounced on him, pinning his shoulders to the ground. Tien went limp.

"Launch… I don't think now's the-"

Launch captured his lips in a deep passionate kiss and pulled back a while afterwards…

"You're gonna make this up to me Tien…" She said, "You promised… remember?"

Tien was blushing deeply and his heart was pounding against his chest…

"Uh… Launch… Please, not now…" He pleaded.

Launch brought her lips down to his again. Chiaotzu spared them a glance, but quickly turned around afterwards and chuckled to himself… Truth is, he liked the idea of Tien getting together with Launch, although he didn't know how it would affect his training.

"All right fine…" Launch said, getting off him. He felt as if a mountain had just been taken off his shoulders. "Have it your way big guy… But know that this ain't over just yet…"

Tien merely nodded his head slowly, unable to form words. Truth is, he actually felt kind of good. He'd never experienced anything like that before in his life.

"Launch… What about your other half?" Tien asked…

"What about her?" Launch asked, frowning at the three-eyed warrior.

Tien shrugged his shoulders and picked out a leaf, from a nearby plant. He got up and began rubbing Launch's nostrils with it…

"Hey… What's the meaning of… Ahhh… Ahhh… ATCHOO!" She sneezed.

"Oh my…" The blue-haired Launch said, "Where am I?"

"Hey Launch… Long time no see…" Tien said, smiling, upon seeing that confused expression on her countenance that he hadn't seen in a long time…

Launch looked at Tien and her eyes began to glisten… She jumped on him, embracing him.

"Tien… Where were you?" She sobbed, "I missed you…"

"I know Launch… I'm back now…" He said, as he embraced back.

Chiaotzu soon finished preparing his meal and Tien began repeating all his previous explanations over breakfast. This Launch was a lot more understanding… She had a kind, gentle and excessively sweet personality, after all. Tien liked aspects of both of them, but found this one much easier to handle.

Meanwhile, Goku, Gohan and Chi-Chi tended to the Ox King in hospital who soon made a quick recovery, about two days after the barbeque was over. They filled him in about Bulma and Vegeta and how they would have a child soon. He was completely startled by the news and didn't know what to think. They also told him how much they cared for one-another and how Vegeta trained her and everything.

Afterwards, Goku began teaching his wife how to fly, in a like manner to the way Vegeta taught Bulma… It took her a while, but within a few days, she was able to float in the air for a few moments, just as Bulma had during her lessons. It would take a while for her to be able to fly like Bulma did, but she'd keep practicing. Bulma had also send her three capsule corporation robots to assist her in her housework. They were efficient, productive and long lasting, so maintenance was not much of a problem at all.

Goku himself trained harder than ever before, in his free time and asked King Kai to send him even heavier training weights. He was intent on catching up to Vegeta's base power, even though that seemed like an impossible mountain to climb. He wouldn't give up… No matter what, he would not give up.

Another week had gone by, since the barbeque at Roshi's… It was Saturday and almost ten weeks since the conception of Bulma and Vegeta's child. Vegeta had trained Bulma more in depth about the art of Ki, until there was essentially nothing left to learn. She continued her flying practice and continued improving on her physical training, further and further.

Vegeta on the other hand, had nearly reached 1000Gs and a few days ago, he asked Bulma to try and up the gravity chamber to withstand at least 1200Gs, so she and her father began working on that… By now they had just finished upgrading it. It took them a little while and during that time, Vegeta was forced to use an inferior machine that could only withstand 500Gs at the very most… But it was still better than nothing.

Vegeta was finding it more and more difficult to hide his thoughts from Bulma though… The thoughts of the purple-haired boy from the future made it all the more difficult to reach Super Saiyan… He had tried asking Master Zhao Shing for help, but the old master told him that he had already taught him everything he knew and could do nothing else for him.

He had no choice but to leave Earth… It was his only option left. At this rate, he'd never reach Super Saiyan. But he didn't know how Bulma would take it.

It was dinnertime and after the meal was over. Bulma and Vegeta went to bed after having a shower and changing into their nightclothes. Vegeta felt that now was the time to voice his thoughts.

"I'm leaving…" He said, simply.

"Leaving where?" Asked Bulma, curious.

"I don't know…" He said, "But I have to leave Earth…"

Bulma felt as if an icicle had just stabbed her straight through the heart. After a long moment of silence, she spoke.

"When?" She asked.

"Tomorrow morning…" He answered.

Bulma felt tears glistening in her eyes.

"But… why?"

"Do not cry woman!" He ordered, "I need this… This is the only way I can reach Super Saiyan… This environment on Earth is too comfortable for me… I cannot concentrate properly."

Bulma could barely speak… She clung onto Vegeta…

"Please… Don't go." She pleaded.

Vegeta embraced her back.

"I have to…" He said, "If I do not reach Super Saiyan, you know that I'll be no match for the androids."

Bulma kept sobbing against his shoulder.

"But I… What do I do without you?" She asked.

Vegeta pulled her back.

"You'll be fine…" He said, "This is the only way… I'll be back once I reach my goal…"

"How long?" She asked.

"I don't know…" He responded, "I'll try to finish as soon as possible."

Bulma threw her arms around him again and began clinging onto him tightly.

"What about our boy?"

"I'll return before he's born…" He answered, holding the back of her head with one hand and draping the other around her waist, "You have my word…"

Bulma pulled back a little and looked into his deep ebony eyes… She knew this was not an easy decision on his part.

"I want you to keep training, harder than ever before…" He said, "I've taught you all you need to survive, but there's more left… You cannot slack off, no matter what…"

Bulma slowly nodded, tears still drenched on her face. Vegeta wiped the tears from her face using his index finger.

"My son lives inside you…" He said, "He needs you to be strong… Not weak and pitiful… If you need any help focusing your thoughts, pay a visit to Master Zhao Shing in New-Dragon Town and tell him I sent you… His mind training techniques are almost flawless…"

Bulma nodded to him and embraced him once more. His tail wrapped around her thigh. Soon the two fell asleep holding onto one-another, firmly.

After breakfast the next morning, Vegeta was near the spaceship accompanied by the Briefs. Neither of the elder Briefs were too happy with his decision, but they eventually relented as well. Bulma was glad that this time Vegeta had woken up by her side, instead of leaving as he had when they decided to be mated, all those weeks prior.

As he was about to head inside the ship, Bulma ran towards him and as he turned around, she jumped on him.

He held her firmly, as her face was nuzzled into his neck.

"I'm so sorry Vegeta…" Bulma said.

Vegeta pulled back, holding her by the waist and he could look into her eyes, wherein he saw her remorse and disheartenment.

"For what?" He asked.

"For getting in your way…" She answered, looking at him dejectedly, "For being such a weakness to you…"

Vegeta pulled her close to him, so their foreheads and noses were touching and they were both looking directly into each other's eyes, up close.

"You're no weakness…" He confessed. He brought his hands up to her face, holding it on either side and wrapped his tail around her thigh, "You're my strength… I stay strong to protect you… and our son… Without you I'd still be weak, lost and without purpose…"

The elder Briefs were stunned at Vegeta's words… They had no clue Bulma meant so much to him and it made them all the more sad that he had to leave, especially Mrs. Brief.

Vegeta's confession caused all the sorrow within Bulma to dissipate and she smiled warmly at him… She put her hands on his forearms, stroking back and forth, feeling his finely toned muscles.

"I love you, Vegeta…" She replied, smiling. "Please come back soon…"

"Hn." Vegeta replied. He pulled his hands back and placed a hand on her belly, rubbing it gently. Bulma put her hand over his…

"Goodbye Princess…" He said, after a while, kissing her lips.

"Goodbye… My Prince…" Bulma said, kissing back. He smiled at her for a fleeting moment, before turning around and entering the ship, ready to leave.

Mrs. Brief smiled, after seeing how much both of them truly longed for one-another.

The space ship soon jolted off of the ground and blasted off into the sky, as Bulma looked on, a hand placed on her fluttering heart.

"Vegeta…" Was all she said, staring up into the sky in silence and smiling.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Ascension

Over a month had passed since Vegeta had left Earth. Chi-Chi had begun training with her father once again, after mastering the flying technique and Goku was training relentlessly, bent on catching up to Vegeta.

Bulma had mastered the mind-training technique of Master Zhao Shing within a week, taking a leave of absence from work for the duration that time, staying in New-Dragon town (since she was already far ahead of schedule, this wasn't too much of a problem). During that week, the dragon master had also taught her a few other moves from his school, which she incorporated into the fighting style she learned from Vegeta. The old master also gave her another dozen dragon-school uniforms – she had offered to pay but he insisted that it was his pleasure for a job well done – he was deeply impressed by Bulma's progress… She trained relentlessly, just as she promised she would. The mind training really helped her focus on her true intent and goal and every time she'd feel a hint of depression and longing, she'd remind herself that Vegeta would return and that she needed to be strong, for him and for their son.

Yamcha and Naomi's relationship was thriving and the children had quit their lessons at the Dojo, having been able to easily defeat any and all opponents therein, including the very best ones… They were still in the process of learning how to fly and control Ki.

Tien had eventually decided to hook up with Launch as well… both halves of her, although for the most part, he concentrated primarily on his training. Launch had now completely quit her life as a crook and felt better than ever before, living with Tien…

Krillin was training harder than ever with Master Roshi.

Bulma was now fifteen weeks into her pregnancy and her stomach slightly protruded, though she tried to hide it under loose fitted clothing.

Vegeta was training on the spaceship at 1050Gs, harder than ever before, but taking extreme caution so as to avoid damaging any of the ship's parts. He cut off all communication from Earth, not wanting to focus on anything other than his primary mission. About a week into his departure, he had arrived on an asteroid-like planet, plagued with storms and lightening… It epitomized the storm raging inside of him; the seemingly endless well of power he could feel brewing and waiting to be unleashed: The power of the legendary Super Saiyan. It wouldn't be long before he would make this power his own… He just needed the right environment… One of extreme desperateness, where he would be forced to draw out the last reserves of his latent energy and when that was not enough, the power would spring forth like a hurricane and fall within his grasp… It was risky, but it was his only option… It was make or break.

Another three weeks had passed… Bulma was now eighteen weeks pregnant and had flown long distances and trained brutally in a number of environments – desert wastelands, arctic regions, tropical regions etc. She loved every minute of it… Vegeta truly had grown on her. She was now stronger than ever before, constantly heightening her speed, strength, power, stamina, endurance, durability and versatility, to whole new levels and she knew in heart that Vegeta would soon be back and when he was, he'd be proud of her…

It was Saturday night and Bulma was strolling through a park in West city alongside Naomi, while Yamcha and the children were at home… A week back, Yamcha had sold his apartment – the proceeds Yamcha received from selling his apartment, coupled with the high salary that Naomi earned from her job at Capsule Corporation, was sufficient for them to buy a new double story house with five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a large backyard – since the previous owner was rich and in a hurry to sell, they were able to purchase it at a discount.

Bulma was wearing a pair of navy blue women's cargo pants, black boots and a baggy white tank top. She had told Naomi that Vegeta was off training on another planet, which did surprise her somewhat, but considering everything else she'd learned about her new group of friends, it didn't alarm her all that much… As they were walking, a group of six hooligans suddenly appeared in front of them, each wearing a ski mask.

Naomi gasped.

"W-W-What're we gonna do?" She asked Bulma, extremely worried and apprehensive about the situation.

Bulma ignored her and turned her attention to the ruffians.

"Something we can do for you?" She asked, in a bored tone.

Naomi looked at her wide-eyed and the thugs stared at her with jaws hanging open. After a while, one of them spoke…

"Yeah… Give us all your money!" One of them ordered in a harsh tone, "… While you're at it, a little pleasure on the side too…"

"I'm only going to say this once…" Bulma said in a strict and clear tone, "You idiots better get lost now or you'll regret it for the rest of your lives…"

"B-B-Bulma?" Naomi spoke, as startled as ever. How could she be so levelheaded at a time like this?

"Real funny bitch…" The same man said and punched his fist into his palm and cracked his neck, as he approached her threateningly, "Now give us your-"

WHACK!

Bulma side-kicked the guy square in the jaw and before he even knew what was happening, he was flying backwards and she quickly reappeared by his side and elbowed him directly to the gut, causing him to land on the ground… hard. He was severely injured and felt as though a train had just ran over his mid-section.

"You don't talk like that to a Princess…" Bulma said nonchalantly, pretending to examine her fingernails. She then stepped hard on his chest, pressing her heel into his sternum and staring directly into his eyes, wherein she saw absolute fear and pain, which he of course deserved, as far as she was concerned, "Now apologize…"

"Get… off… me… you… bi-"

Before he could finish his sentence Bulma pressed her heel harder into his chest, causing him to scream in pain as loud as he could, which wasn't too loud, given the intense pressure on his sternum… Everyone else looked on in horror at the scene that was taking place.

The man tried to speak up, but the strain on his sternum made it far too difficult, so Bulma eased up a little.

"You were saying?" She asked.

"I-I'm… s-s-sorry…" He muttered.

"That's what I like to hear…" She smirked in response.

She took her foot off him. His chest was throbbing with pain and he clutched it with his hands. He tried in vain to get up, which Bulma noticed.

"Uh uh… I didn't say you could get up…" She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He immediately ceased his efforts. Bulma smirked and kicked him hard on the temple, knocking him out instantaneously. She then turned to the others.

"Well now, I guess it's your turn…" She said, "Either you surrender peacefully or end up like your friend here…"

"You don't scare us…" Another one said and pulled out a knife, "Just come here if you have the balls, you little-"

WHACK!

Bulma had suddenly reappeared in front of the man and elbowed him hard on the forehead. That one blow was sufficient to put him to sleep.

"How does she move so fast?" The third guy asked, completely horrified.

"I've been trained by the best…" Bulma answered, "Now either you give up peacefully, or else…"

The man pulled out a gun and began shooting desperately… Bulma easily dodged the bullets and the man eventually ran out. As he was trying to reload, she reappeared in front of him at super speed. He immediately fell backwards onto the ground, stunned to death… She didn't even have to lay a finger on him.

Bulma held her hand up, with her thumb and index finger shaped like a pistol and aimed it towards the man's right ar.

"Bang…" She said, as she fired a Ki beam with her index finger that burned a hole straight through his right shoulder, causing the gun to completely slip out of his grasp. He screamed in pain and horror. She then walked over towards him and stomped hard on his forehead, rendering him unconscious.

Afterwards, she looked towards the other two…

"What's it going to be?" She asked impassively.

They were stunned to death… Was this person a woman or some crazy machine? They saw the laser beam she fired at their comrade. How on Earth did she do that? Was she a magician or an alien or something? This was nuts.

The fourth man aimed a gun at Naomi.

"Stay where you are or she dies…" He threatened, angst written all over his face.

Naomi gasped and placed a hand on her heart, which was pounding against her chest, threatening to break through her rib cage and sternum… She didn't want to die… She had Yamcha to go back to and her little brothers and sister to look after… She didn't want to leave them the way her parents left her.

Bulma shook her head.

"Tsk tsk tsk…" She said confidently, "You guys never learn… One more chance… Put the gun down… or else…"

The man gulped… How could possibly she be so confident with her friend's life on the line? Did she not care?

"I'm warning you… Make one move, and I kill her…" He threatened, pressing the hammer downwards.

Bulma knew the man had the edge on her at this time. She needed to think of something fast or Naomi would be a goner. Her training had allowed her to maintain a façade of perfect calm, composure and assertiveness, which worked to her advantage, big time, since it made the crook that much more terror-stricken.

'Yeah that'll probably work, considering the state this guy's in…' Bulma thought, having come up with a plan.

She then pretended to look over the man's shoulder and for a fleeting moment, he turned to see what she was staring at… This was her cue. While his attention was diverted, she quickly vanished and reappeared in front of Naomi. By the time the man turned back, Bulma wasn't there. He turned around and saw her standing protectively in front of Naomi. He instinctively began firing at her. Bulma easily caught every single bullet flying in her direction. Naomi ducked for cover and clasped her hands over her ears.

The man continued trying to fire as he retreated backwards, but each time he did Bulma simply caught the bullet, until his clip finally emptied. Who was this creature? Not only could she dodge bullets, but she could catch them as well… Naomi recovered and looked up in time to see what was happening. Bulma was catching each bullet fired towards her… She was absolutely in awe of what she was witnessing.

Bulma dropped the bullets, quickly appeared in front of the man and grabbed him by the throat with her left hand.

"You weakling!" She yelled as she punched him hard in the face with her right hand, causing him to fall to the ground.

She then landed on him with a hard knee to the gut… He spit out a copious amount of blood from his mouth as a result.

"I warned you!" Bulma yelled as she continuously pounded his face with her right hand, clenched into a fist, causing him to bleed more and more profusely, "I told you… WHACK… not to… WHACK… fuck with us… WHACK… you piece of… WHACK… shit! WHACK…"

Naomi gasped and put her hands over her mouth… This was not the Bulma she knew… No way… She was acting so brutal… She'd always known her to be gentle, kind and excessively charitable… It was all so frightening for her, seeing her friend behave so viciously… She looked like a bloodthirsty tigress ravaging her prey.

As she was punching and yelling at the man, another man fired a bullet, which she immediately caught, without even turning in his direction. She then tilted her face rightwards and gave him a hard glare.

"What?!" She exclaimed, "You thought you could catch me off guard, huh?!"

She dropped the bullet and with a final blow she knocked the man on the ground out and reappeared in front of the one who tried firing on her.

"Think again!"

The man stuck the gun near her forehead and just as he was about to fire, Bulma grabbed his hand, tilting it upwards and the bullet fired elsewhere… She smirked at him and began bending his wrist painfully, until he dropped the gun. She continued bending it, until it snapped and he shrieked in agony.

"Well, I guess that about does it for you…" She said and finally let go… He moved backwards several steps, howling in pain and she attacked him with a super quick 540-roundhouse kick on the jaw, dislocating it and knocking him out instantly.

She was pumped with adrenaline, flowing through every inch of her body. She wanted to make these bastards suffer…

She glared daggers at the last thug who was trembling… She could see the fear in his eyes and smirked evilly at him, Vegeta style.

"You want some too?!" She yelled.

"N-N-No p-p-please…" He pleaded, putting his hands up in surrender, "I g-g-give up…"

She walked up to him and offed his ski mask… She saw the face of a boy, who looked as if he was in his mid-teens… Why was he mixed up with a bunch of scumbags like them? Bulma didn't feel like hurting the boy and he did surrender after all…

"I'm not going to hurt you…" She said, "But you're going to have to learn from your mistake… Never associate yourself with bastards like them ever again."

The boy nodded slowly, the fear still evident in his eyes.

"C-C-Can I p-please g-go h-home?" He pleaded, "I w-won't d-do anything b-bad, I s-swear…"

Bulma shook her head.

"Sorry kid…" She said in a serious tone, frowning, "You make a mistake, you pay for it… You chose to hang with the wrong people… That was your decision, end of story…"

As the young lad was about to open his mouth in protest, Bulma gave him a hard glare that immediately shut him up.

"Naomi…" She turned to her friend, "Call the police… Let's get these guys where they belong."

Naomi slowly nodded her head and took her cell-phone out of her bag. Bulma's white top had so much blood on it, which was visible under the moonlight.

A little while later the police came and took care of everything, while Bulma and Naomi headed back to their house… Naomi barely uttered a word on the way home, visibly frightened after seeing how brutal her friend could be. Bulma noticed this and kept trying to reassure her, but it hardly worked, so she decided to drop it until they got home.

The park was walking distance from Naomi's house and so it took around ten minutes for them to reach.

The moment Bulma rung the doorbell, Jethro answered and his eyes widened when he saw the blood on Bulma's top.

"W-W-What h-happened?" He asked, stunned.

"I'll explain everything when we're inside…" She answered.

Yamcha and the others were also stunned after seeing Bulma in such a state and she recounted everything that had taken place, when they all sat down in the lounge.

"Thanks, Bulma…" Yamcha said, "I'm glad she's safe… But don't you think you could've gone a little easier on them?"

"They deserved what they got!" She exclaimed, "They're scum of the Earth… When I saw them, the first person I remembered was… was…"

Bulma's eyes began to glisten a little, but she quickly rubbed the tears away, not wanting to show any sign of weakness and vulnerability… She was much stronger than that.

"Who are you talking about, Bulma?" Yamcha asked, concernedly, knowing the look of despondence on the face of his childhood friend.

Bulma sighed dejectedly, but decided to tell them everything. When she saw those men, the first person that came to mind was the piece of shit that attempted to rape her those weeks ago and would've succeeded, had Vegeta not intervened at the very last minute. It enraged her like crazy that she was too weak to defend herself… Never would it happen again… She would live up to her title as the Princess of the most powerful race of warriors that ever walked the Universe… That title filled her with pride.

Naomi sat down next to her and tugged her arm, feeling bad for having been so carried away from her behavior. That explained it all…

"I'm so sorry Bulma…" She said softly, "I never knew…"

"It's all right…" She replied and looked at her, "I'm a lot stronger than that now… When I saw you standing there all helpless and fearing for your life when the man aimed the gun at you, all I could remember was how I felt when the bastard who tried raping me, had me pinned to the ground… That's why I was so mad… I wanted him to suffer… Scum like them have no right to walk the streets and threaten others."

"I understand Bulma…" She said, "And thanks for saving me… thanks a lot."

Bulma smiled at her.

"Now, how about you go get cleaned up?" Naomi requested kindly, smiling back.

Bulma nodded her head in assent.

Jethro and Hunter made a few comments about how powerful Bulma must've been to be able to defeat six men armed with guns that easily and to be able to catch and dodge bullets… The two of them and Jasmine were deeply appreciative that their older sister was safe because of Bulma.

Chi-Chi trained relentlessly with her father, like never before. Soon she had returned to the same level of skill she was at during the World Martial Arts Tournament and had, by now, long surpassed that level… It felt great… She felt extremely thankful to Bulma for having given her the motive for this. It had been far too long.

Vegeta was presently training at 1100Gs. By now, he had mastered his mind training. He knew that he would be able to conceal all thoughts of the purple haired Saiyan boy from Bulma whilst still keeping his mental barriers open… His primary focus was now on the task at hand – achieving the awesome power of the legendary Super Saiyan.

After finishing his training session, he was exhausted and fatigued. Suddenly a storm erupted and meteors began hailing down upon the area of the rocky planet where he had resided… He had essentially lived on food inside several refrigerator capsules, the whole time he was there. Luckily he'd packed a good amount and there were little to no storage problems.

'Oh great… Just my luck…' Vegeta thought.

He was outside the space ship when he noticed the storm brew. He began doing all that was within his power to protect himself and his ship… He had to survive this, no matter what.

After a few minutes, he noticed a gigantic meteor heading down, about to crash straight atop his ship. It was enormous, bigger than any meteor he'd ever seen… He fired his most intense Ki blast towards it, but it was to no avail… After training under such intensity, he was running out of power. He barely had any reserves left after that brutal training session of his… This would be his end… He would die here on a desolate planet without having achieved his birthright… No, he wouldn't let it happen – he was the Saiyan Prince… He was born for this. He wouldn't meet his end at the hands of a blasted rock. With that in mind, Vegeta shot out more power and was able to stall the meteor for a few moments, but that was about all he could do. This was terrible… How could he escape his predicament unscathed? He had no clue…

He would die here… His woman and his child would be left in pieces, with no one there to defend them once the androids came… Images of his woman broken to bits swarmed through his mind and images of her raising their child all by herself, in a desolate world, living a life plagued with sorrow, fear and death… That thought made him spring deeper and deeper into the untapped well of energy he'd felt inside of him for so long now… How could he ever give up on them? He made a promise to her… He swore he would return and he would, no matter what… If he had to die, he would die protecting her, not like this… No way… He kept digging and digging into his power and as he was his raven-colored hair began to shine gold and back to raven and his eyes became teal and his skin lighter… back and forth, again and again until finally he hit the mother load and bellowed so loud, that his thunderous battle cry could be heard across neighboring planets. An ethereal golden aura surrounded him, tendrils of gold wound around his figure, his hair shone a perfect golden color and his eyes teal… Having finally ascended, he was easily able to shatter the meteor into powder with a quick blow…

Vegeta looked at his hands and body and felt the tremendous power brewing within him… It was mind-boggling and far beyond anything he'd ever imagined… He felt so vigorous. He did it at last! He ascended… He was now the most powerful warrior the Universe had ever seen and could state with unshakable confidence that he truly was the Saiyan Prince! Despite his excitement, he felt such a sense of peace and calm overcome him… He felt pure and content, as if this power was an innate part of him…

"I've finally done it…" Was all he said, in a completely calm and serene manner. He closed his eyes as he tilted his head up towards the sky and took a deep breath, inhaling once and then opening his eyes again as he exhaled.

He then easily destroyed every meteor threatening to destroy him and the ship and finally came aboard, headed back to Earth, his mission complete at last.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Return

About one week had passed, since Vegeta had ascended. He was on his way to Earth and would return soon.

It was Sunday morning. Bulma and Chi-Chi had finally decided to spar. Bulma was nineteen weeks pregnant as of now. Chi-Chi insisted that Goku and Gohan to watch her fight before beginning their training and they were only too happy to oblige. Piccolo too decided to get some entertainment in.

They had chosen the battleground to be a flat lush spacious savannah near Mount Paozu, which was very open for battle…

Bulma bade farewell to her mother and father and flew towards her destination, as did her old friend and newest rival. They met there at around 8:00 am and greeted and embraced one another before finally facing off. Bulma was wearing a green/silver dragon-school Kung-Fu uniform, while Chi-Chi was dressed in the same clothes she had donned in the tournament, reminiscent of her former glory.

"So Chi-Chi, ready to lose?" Bulma taunted.

"Not on your life 'hun…" Chi-Chi answered, "I've trained too hard for this."

"Be careful of the baby okay…" Bulma said.

"Sure thing…"

"Ready, get set, go!" Goku gave the mark and the two flung towards one another and their forearms collided, before they flew up into the air, blocking and exchanging blow for blow at incredible speeds.

"Gosh dad… They're so fast…" Gohan noted.

"Yeah, I'm surprised…" Goku concurred, "They must've trained real hard."

They went at it back and forth for a few minutes.

Chi-Chi fired a straight palm towards Bulma's face, but she evaded it, grabbed her forearm and swirled her arm and body around, so she was holding her opponent in a rear arm lock. Chi-Chi grimaced and attempted to elbow Bulma on the face from behind with her free arm, but the latter caught her attack with her hand and moved her arm down so she was holding her in a double rear arm lock mid-air.

Chi-Chi flung her head backwards, hitting Bulma right in the chin. Bulma was taken by surprise and held a hand to the injured spot. Chi-Chi used this opportunity to perform a spinning wheel kick on the side of Bulma's face, followed closely by a wheel kick with the other leg on the same spot, causing Bulma to plummet towards the ground. Luckily, Bulma was able to gather her bearings and land gracefully in a crouch. As Chi-Chi charged towards her with one fist up, Bulma did a ground somersault backwards and halfway through she thrust her body and both legs up into the air, causing her feet to ram hard against Chi-Chi's face. The raven-haired warrior flipped backwards, but, like Bulma, was able to land gracefully back on her feet.

Bulma jumped back onto her feet as well and the two of them simultaneously wiped blood off their lips.

"Wow, Chi-Chi… I didn't think you were this good." Bulma said, surprised.

"I get better…" Chi-Chi smirked and lunged towards Bulma, punching her hard in the jaw and then sweeping her legs out from underneath her.

As Chi-Chi was about to jump on her, Bulma rolled to the side and did a back flip, landing on her feet.

"So do I!" Exclaimed Bulma, charging at Chi-Chi… Chi-Chi was barely able to block Bulma's moves, let alone get in one of her own – she'd gotten so damn quick now... Chi-Chi decided to take it up yet another notch, so they were just about equal in speed, though Chi-Chi still slightly exceeded her. In terms of strength, Bulma was the superior fighter… Bulma and Chi-Chi eventually locked arms with one another for a while, before Bulma swiftly brought a knee upwards, ramming it underneath her opponent's chin, causing her to stagger back, before side-kicking her in the forehead with the same leg, causing her to fly back several yards, though she was able to maintain her balance and land in a crouch. Bulma brought her leg back to the ground and smirked at Chi-Chi, who glowered at her, after getting back on her feet.

"All right! Try this!" Chi-Chi yelled and began galloping towards her, before using an after image when she was about two feet away. Bulma's eyes widened, but she was quickly able to locate her opponent's Ki signal. She whirled around and caught Chi-Chi's foot, just as it was about to strike the back of her head, while air-born. She then began spinning her around and launched her into the air, before vanishing herself and appearing above her. She landed an elbow straight to her solar-plexus, causing her to nosedive right back into the ground, only this time she was much too damaged to land gracefully and fell on her back, winded badly.

"Wow… Vegeta really did a good job with her." Goku observed.

"You can say that again…" Gohan agreed, "Do you think mom's hurt though?"

"She's a lot stronger than you think son…" Goku said, "Besides, Bulma wouldn't do anything stupid."

Gohan nodded to his father.

Bulma landed near Chi-Chi and smirked at her.

"Ready to call it quits?" She asked.

"Not on your life!" She scowled, in response.

Chi-Chi got back up, but was struggling to stay on her feet, staggering back and forth and taking deep heavy breaths.

"I'll give you a while to recoup…" Bulma said, a genuine smile on her face.

Chi-Chi felt angry inside… and spent, but after a few deep breaths, she was able to steady herself.

"Well I'm ready." She said, smirking at Bulma.

"Good." Bulma responded and charged at her, only to hit an after-image with her fist.

"You tried that already, Chi-Chi…" Bulma said. "It won't work on me."

Bulma tried performing a back kick on Chi-Chi who was behind her and just as the attack was about to land flush on her opponent's face, the younger warrior performed another-after image and was in front of her now… Chi-Chi inner knife-handed Bulma extremely hard on the side of the neck, catching her off guard and causing her to fall on the ground, dazed badly.

Chi-Chi then climbed on top of her, straddling her waist and pinned her hands on either side of her face… Had she desired, she could've chosen to strangle her until she gave up or passed out, but deemed that too cruel… Besides, she wanted to test Bulma's abilities too and see if she'd be able to escape her current predicament. Bulma squirmed and struggled but couldn't get free.

"Give up?" Chi-Chi smirked at her after a while.

"No way!" Bulma yelled back… With all her might, Bulma moved her hands outwards and jerked them free, causing Chi-Chi to lose her balance and fall on top of her. Bulma then used her free arms to catch Chi-Chi in an arm triangle choke.

Bulma kept insisting that Chi-Chi give up, but she refused. After a while, Bulma felt that enough was enough and let her go… Chi-Chi was completely spent, especially after Bulma had cut off her airways, with that last maneuver of hers. This made it easy for Bulma to get out from underneath her.

Bulma staggered backwards a little after getting up, the injuries of battle having taken too much of a toll on her as well, that last knife hand in particular. Just as she was about to fall onto the ground on her back, someone caught her underneath the arms. Bulma was confused… What just happened? Was it Goku?

"I was wondering when you'd show up…" Goku said, smirking at the figure that appeared. The man smirked back.

Bulma turned around slowly and when she saw whom it was, she beamed and her cerulean eyes glimmered with tears, but she hardly had the strength to do anything. Her eyes soon rolled to the back of her head and she fell unconscious.

Chi-Chi rolled over and sat up off the ground, rubbing her aching neck.

"Owwwww…" She softly whimpered.

She then looked up and saw Bulma and… another man. It was him… He had returned. Bulma told them that he took off to train in space – at first she felt sour towards the Saiyan Prince for leaving his pregnant partner all alone, but just seeing him there with her, caused it all to dissipate.

"Vegeta!" She beamed at the irate Prince.

Vegeta turned towards her and was stunned to see the harpy smiling at him and for a fleeting moment he smiled back before turning back and transferring energy to Bulma.

When he was done, Bulma suddenly sat up.

"What day is it?!" She yelled.

Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle a little… He watched the battle from afar and he knew that Kakarot and the Namek were aware of his presence, despite the stealth with which he attempted to move. He had suppressed his Ki and his thoughts when he came back to Earth. Only the elder Briefs were aware of his presence, since he had landed in Capsule Corporation, before showering, changing into a training uniform and heading off towards Bulma.

He was surprised at how much Bulma had improved since he last saw her… It swelled him with pride… Kakarot's woman too had surprised him with some of her skills and maneuvers – he never imagined that she would be able to damage Bulma to that extent, let alone match her in skill, given all the training she'd acquired under his wing.

Bulma turned in Vegeta's direction.

"VEGETA!" She beamed and instinctively jumped on him, rolling over with him on the ground several times, before finally pinning him: straddling his waist and holding his shoulders down with both hands.

Vegeta cringed at her excessively loud and high-pitched tone and was thus taken completely off guard.

"Woman, would you mind-"

Bulma captured Vegeta's lips in a deep passionate kiss, interrupting him. Vegeta wanted to push her off but couldn't… It had been far too long since he'd felt her touch and tasted her sweet luscious lips and tongue… Soon he began kissing back, completely unaware of the gawking audience, whose jaws were totally dropped at what they were seeing.

After a while Bulma pulled back and Vegeta flipped her over and began straddling her. Bulma gasped but soon smiled… Vegeta bent down and inhaled her scent deeply, sniffing the crook of her neck and going upwards till his nose was wandering through her silky blue hair. He then rested his face against the crook of her neck and placed a hand on her protruding belly.

"I thought I told you to train woman…" He said.

"I did!" She groused.

"Then explain why you've gotten so fat…" He teased, smirking.

"You… freaking… jerk!" She hissed, through gritted teeth.

Vegeta smirked and snickered against her neck, inhaling in more of her sweet scent. Bulma smiled, her anger all but vanished.

"I missed you, you crazy Saiyan…" She said softly.

"Foolish woman…" Vegeta responded, smiling and then moving up to her face, looking deep into her azure eyes wherein he saw could see the joy, relief and merriment resonating throughout her. He brought his forehead down to hers, so their noses were adjacent and breathed contentedly against her, softly pressing his lips to hers.

Goku and Gohan began laughing abashedly, scratching their heads. Piccolo averted his gaze in embarrassment, while Chi-Chi smiled at the scene before her… They were such a lovely pair in her eyes. She could hardly move though… Her injuries too were excessive.

Goku came by her side and draped an arm around her with one hand, hoisting her to her feet, before transferring some energy to her with his free hand.

Chi-Chi was soon revitalized as well. She smiled at Goku and kissed him, before heading towards the pair making out on the grassy ground nearby.

"Jeez you two can never get your hands off one-another." She said, smirking, her hands on her hips.

Vegeta immediately shot up into a defensive stance, scowling and wound his tail tightly around his waist. Chi-Chi couldn't help but chuckle in response to his abrupt move. Vegeta then relaxed… Seems he was so lost in his own little world, he'd forgotten about the others and assumed some intruder was threatening their moment of peace.

Bulma too got up.

"So, Vegeta… did you finally do it?" Goku asked, approaching his rival.

Vegeta looked at him for a moment.

"Well… You know…" He answered nonchalantly, looking towards the ground.

"Oh come Vegeta… Tell me." Goku complained.

"Ask me some other time!" He grumbled.

"Oh…" Goku answered… Did that mean he still hadn't ascended? If so, he guessed he wouldn't want to press the matter further… So he decided to turn his attention to the females.

"By the way… You two were amazing…" He said, "You've improved so much Chi-Chi… You weren't anywhere near as fast or as strong in the tournament…"

"Thanks Goku…" She said, smiling at him, but then remembered that she had lost the battle, causing her to look towards the ground in dissappointment, "I still lost though…"

"Lost? You weren't the one who fell unconscious." Bulma said, smirking at her. "Those were some amazing moves you pulled Chi-Chi… My neck still feels like it got ran over by a bus…"

Chi-Chi laughed a little.

"Thanks Bulma…" She said smiling, "But you could've had me there and you know it…"

"You could've had me too Chi-Chi, but you didn't…" Bulma responded, "You had me pinned down… You could've cut off my airways, but you didn't."

"Hey, I did owe you giving me time to recover…" Chi-Chi said. "It didn't seem right to take advantage of you… Still, I'm going to keep working harder and harder until I beat you… Count on it!"

"I'm looking forward to it, Chi-Chi…" Bulma replied, smiling at her friend.

"By the way Vegeta, I was wondering what level of gravity you're at." Goku said, looking at the Saiyan Prince curiously.

"1100Gs." Vegeta answered.

"Woah, really?" He stated… "Sounds neat… I train with twenty ton weights on each arm and leg, as of right now."

"Eighty tons, huh?" Vegeta mused for a while, "That would be about the same as 1100Gs…"

The group continued chatting away for a while about all that had been going on, until they finally parted and returned to their respective homes.


	47. Chapter 47

**Warning: A lot of lemony zest**

Chapter 47: Engaging

Vegeta took the day off, spending it with Bulma, going out into the city, spending some in a park, then a beach and finally enjoying some exquisite meals in a five-star restaurant, where Vegeta ate nearly every last reserve of food the place had to offer, while Bulma recounted her past two months, having trained under brutal conditions around the world and having drastically increased her skills… She also said that she had a great surprise for him when he returned home, having forgotten to show him earlier on.

"What surprise?" Vegeta mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Bulma giggled and jabbed his arm playfully.

"Don't talk while you're eating…" She said jovially, "It's rude… A Prince should know better."

Vegeta grumbled and swallowed.

"Quit changing the subject…" He groused.

"Well… About the surprise… You'll find out soon 'Geta…" She said.

"Hmph… Fine…" He relented.

After finishing up his meal at the restaurant, the two of them went flying around, visiting various places throughout the planet, before finally settling themselves on a lush green field of grass near a rich forest, right next to a beautiful oceanic blue waterfall, with more grass and trees on the other side, providing the duo with a stunning naturalistic landscape to view and admire…

The royal pair sat down, holding onto one-another tightly as they enjoyed the scenery before them, saying nothing for several hours and yet each knowing exactly how serene and tranquil the other had felt the entire time. It was almost dark. After a while, Bulma remembered something.

"By the way, congratulations." She said.

Vegeta looked at her quizzically.

"What?"

"On becoming a Super Saiyan." She answered looking at him and smiling warmly, "I had no doubts whatsoever… You're the best, Vegeta."

Vegeta raised one eyebrow up.

"And what makes you think I reached Super Saiyan?" He asked.

"We're mates Vegeta…" She answered, "I know you… Sometimes I even know you better than yourself… Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Vegeta furrowed his brows at her.

"How did you know?" He asked.

"I felt it… I felt your pain a week ago when you were training." She said and began stroking his cheek as she pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes, "You struggled hard but you were finally able break through that barrier… I know you did it because of the baby and me… I know that you'll always protect us from anything, no matter how powerful or dangerous it is… You've changed so much Vegeta…"

Vegeta sighed contentedly and breathed deeply, in and out against her lips and closed his eyes as he spoke.

"I changed because of you…" He confessed and pulled back, opening his eyes as he began stroking her silky strands of hair with his calloused hands. "My life meant nothing to me before… Revenge and hatred were my only reasons for living. I may as well have been dead. You were right… You knew me better than I did myself… But I don't know how… How did you manage to draw a living being out of a bloodthirsty demon?"

Bulma opened her eyes as he was mid-way through his sentence and saw the variety of emotions flickering through the depths of his obsidian orbs, from despair, loneliness and sorrow, to love, contentment and finally need – the need to know what had drawn her to him.

Bulma put a hand on his heart as she answered, feeling its hard rhythmic beat against her palm and looking directly into his eyes.

"Well, you remember the day you came back to Earth after hunting for Goku last year?" She asked.

Vegeta nodded his head in affirmative.

"You see…" She began, "The night before that I had a dream that you came back…"

Bulma felt the rise in his heartbeat and found it difficult to proceed… He slowly nodded his head for her to continue.

"Well…" She began and lowered her head, looking at her shoes, "You were so different in the dream – the complete opposite of how you normally were… You were gentle, sweet and caring… at least to me… And you…"

"I what?" Vegeta asked, after a moment of pause.

"You kissed me in the dream…" She answered. "And it felt… good… really good."

Vegeta gasped and Bulma felt his heartbeat increase even further. So was she drawn to him for all that time?

"But… It was only a dream…" Vegeta said, "How could that-"

"I know but…" Bulma interrupted, "every time I looked at you… part of me saw the man I dreamt about… not the typical sourpuss, high and mighty, royal pain in the ass, Prince Vegeta…"

Vegeta growled at her and Bulma giggled.

"Well it's true…" She said and put her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his once again.

"You're one to talk, you spoiled little brat…" He said, smirking at her.

"Hey!" She groused, frowning as she pouted her lips.

Vegeta snickered and nipped her lower lip, tickling the membrane with his tongue.

Bulma giggled…

'Stop it…' She pleaded with him mentally, her laughter resounding inside of her, as well as outside. She only managed to oblige him further, as he unwound his tail and began tickling her legs underneath her skirt, causing Bulma to giggle even further. She closed her legs betwixt his tail, in an instinctive attempt to put an end to his torturous scheme… It wasn't enough, however, and it's tip continued to brush back and forth against her hamstring, making her giggle more and more…

Well, he wasn't the only one who had moves up his sleeve… She let his tail loose between her legs and grabbed it, proceeding to stroke it gently with her slender fingers… Vegeta suddenly let her lip loose and looked like he was literally frozen… Bulma smirked and brought his tail up, beginning to kiss it and rub her cheek against its baby soft fur.

"N-No… D-Don't…" Was all he could mutter as his eyelids began fluttering and he was purring like crazy. Just in the nick of time she ceased her ministrations – as if by sheer luck, she'd managed to stop just before he lost control. He suddenly released a mountainous breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Woman…" He mumbled and soon fell on her, chin resting on her shoulder… Seems the aftereffect of her antics had put him to sleep – he was tired and had had a very long day, plus two months of nothing but the most severe training took their toll and so he got fatigued easier than normal – he figured he'd needed at least another day of rest to fully recuperate – once he did, his strength would spike higher than ever before. Bulma didn't find it difficult supporting Vegeta's heavy massed figure – her strength had taken great leaps as a result of her training… Soon she laid him on the ground and rested on him, carefully appraising and feeling his peaceful sleeping face. Just seeing him that way and feeling his rising and falling chest against her bosom, lulled her into a tranquil slumber not too long after, as she laid on top of him…

Vegeta woke up well before dawn and felt Bulma sleeping on top of him… She looked so calm, serene and content. He then remembered how Bulma was ministering his tail… He must have collapsed as a result… How embarrassing. He'd make sure to get her back for this one day, but for now he was gratified just being with her.

He wrapped his arms around her and began sniffing her hair and rubbing her back up and down slowly. She found it so soothing and comforting. He didn't have it in him to force her off of him, so he closed his eyes and decided to sleep in for a while… After about an hour she woke up and the sky was clear – the sun hadn't yet risen but it would soon.

Bulma got up and looked at Vegeta, whose onyx eyes were open. He'd woken up a short while before her.

She brought her forehead down to his, their noses adjacent and kissed him gently. He responded in kind.

After a while, she moved her position, so she was straddling his waist. He began stroking her thighs back and forth up her skirt in a firm, yet soothing and relaxing manner. The motion caused her to moan in pleasure and she placed her hands on his steel chest, although a lot of it was hidden underneath that bodysuit of his… They hadn't done anything remotely sexual since he'd left.

Before she knew it, Bulma was on her back, with Vegeta straddling her hips. She gasped… Even her superior fighting senses hadn't been able to follow through with how quick Vegeta had been able to reverse their positions.

Before long, they were both completely nude and engaging in passionate love making, which served as the perfect release after that long period of pent up sexual frustration… Vegeta had it bad, but he still had his mind focused predominantly on his primary mission, i.e. ascending. Bulma on the other hand, had it much worse – while she did spend a lot of time training and working, her longing for Vegeta's comfort and presence constantly prodded her mind. While Master Zhao Shing's meditative techniques helped a lot, they didn't and couldn't completely dissipate the need for them to see and to feel one another again.

After they were done, Vegeta collapsed and brought Bulma to him, so they were in a sweetheart's cradle.

"That was… perfect…" Bulma said, between breaths.

"Hn." Vegeta said, smirking at the sky above.

"God… You never… cease… to surprise… me." Said an exhausted Bulma, once again, "You're so damn… good."

Vegeta chuckled, but didn't say anything. After a while, they jumped into the water nearby, easily using their superior skills to hold themselves in position, despite the water's current.

"What say we free-fall?" Vegeta suggested, smirking.

Bulma was confused.

"Huh?"

"You know what I mean." He said.

"Vegeta… I don't think-"

"Afraid?" He taunted.

"Fine… Have it your way… Prince." She relented, smirking at him and unwilling to refuse a challenge.

They stopped fighting the current and allowed themselves to be carried to the edge of the waterway, before falling down.

Bulma screamed as she was falling, but refused to cease her natural motion and was exhilarated at the same time, as the water kept springing her downwards, faster and faster.

Soon the two landed at the bottom…

The duo then began enjoying themselves for a long while, cleaning, fondling and playing with one-another before getting themselves back up top.

Vegeta dried himself by flaring his Ki and within minutes, he was able to teach Bulma how to do likewise. Her fighting mindset allowed her to pick up techniques faster than ever before.

After they were dried, Bulma embraced him while naked and began running her finger up and down his spine, causing him to purr. A thought suddenly occurred to Bulma, something that she hadn't considered in quite a while… Something of extreme and utter importance.

"Vegeta… I think I want to…" Bulma began, but couldn't finish.

"We just did woman…" Vegeta said, frowning.

"That's not what I meant!" Bulma grumbled and pulled back, her eyes narrowed in irritation at his misunderstanding.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow in intrigue.

"Then what did you mean?"

Bulma's expression softened.

"I think I… uh… uh…" Once again she couldn't finish.

"What woman?" He asked, narrowing his eyes impatiently, "Spit it out already…"

Bulma took a deep breath, in and out.

"I want to marry you… Vegeta." She said.

Vegeta gasped, his eyes widened and his heart pounding against his chest like crazy, as if he'd just been struck by lightening… no, even lightening would not have this kind of affect on the Prince.

"But… we are bonded." Vegeta said, after gathering his bearings.

Bulma began stroking his cheek and looking into his deep ebony eyes.

"I know, but… I've always dreamed of marriage." She said, "Since I was a little girl, I always dreamed about marrying a handsome Prince and how we would live happily ever after…"

Vegeta's heart was suddenly pounding so hard and fast against his chest, even Bulma was able to pick up on it… She giggled in response and pressed her face to his chest, hearing it's steady rhythm as it slowed down in response to her soothing touch… Her training had allowed her a to learn a few other tricks too, in this case, calming down her perturbed Prince.

"I know we'll always be together, regardless, but please…" She said, looking up into his ebony orbs, her own sparkling limitless azure eyes filled with plea, "Will you do this for me?"

Vegeta sighed and closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. He knew about marriage. He'd seen some sappy romance films with Bulma, though for the most part, they bored him to death, but he still knew how weddings worked and what was to be expected of him… It was always the man who asked the woman though, but neither he nor Bulma really cared about traditional customs. Truthfully, marriage didn't seem like such a bad idea to the Prince. Public affection wasn't really his forte, but then who would know about it other than their friends and family?

'Friends? Family? Do I really consider her family as my own? And do I really think of those Earthling warriors and the Namek, as friends?' He thought, 'I do consider Kakarot, but the others… Who am I kidding? I've become attached to this place, definitely to her and to these Earthlings as well… Maybe it's not so bad… Besides, they are already aware of just about everything going on between us, so why not marry her?'

"Yes…" He answered, his expression stoic, but his obsidian orbs showing softness, gentleness and even… contentment.

Bulma beamed and lunged at him as hard as she could, pinning him to the ground and kissing him more feverishly than ever before… Her move was so swift and sudden that even he was completely taken by surprise…

"Woma-"

Vegeta could barely get a word since they were all muffled every instance he opened his mouth, by her soft luscious lips… After a while she eased up and rested her elbows his chest and placed her hands underneath her chin as she was pressed against him and looked deep into his onyx orbs… She could also feel his member hardening against her lower abdomen… Well, if he was game, perhaps she would be too.

Vegeta could not control himself… He might as well let her take charge of this operation, while he relaxed… After all, he needed a little break, given all the severe training he'd engaged in during his time in outer space, so he may as well her do most of the work.

"Go ahead then…" He said, smirking at her, as if giving his approval.

Bulma knew exactly what he had meant.

"Well, if you say so, my Prince…" She smirked back and kissed his lips once more, before getting up, straddling his hips and placing his firm shaft inside her open cleft. She continued moving up and down and back and forth, again and again, whilst he lay back, relaxed and let his hands explore her smooth curves, from her shapely thighs, to her curvy hips and up her breasts, which were a little less swollen than normal, as a result of her pregnancy, no doubt, but were remarkable nonetheless. He squeezed and caressed as he went along, back and forth, loving the feel of her flawless figure… It felt so relaxing, letting her take charge. He never thought he'd completely surrender his body to anyone, even her, but it was just much too difficult to resist at this very moment… Oh well, he'd gotten her to do the same thing on numerous occasions, so he may as well let her have it this one time.

Bulma was enjoying every minute of this… On the outside, in front of everyone else, he was the Saiyan Prince, a cold, battle-hardened and seasoned-warrior, now the most powerful being in the Universe, but in the here and now, he belonged to her… Sure, she belonged to him too, but at this particular moment, she was the one taking control, dictating the pace and asserting her authority as the Saiyan Princess… And she was savoring each and every moment that went by, until they were finally spent and burst their fluids into one another.

After they were done, they cleaned up again in the waterway beside them, only this time they kept it brief. After they were done, they got up, flared their Ki once again and dressed up in the garments they had discarded, zooming back to Capsule Corporation.

Bulma had told their parents of the plan.

"Wow, this is so wonderful!" Mrs. Brief beamed, joining her hands together in front of her face, thumbs underneath her chin, in absolute delight.

"Yes…" Dr. Brief said, "This truly is a dream come true… I'm really looking forward to this… So when do you two plan on getting married?"

"Let's say, a little while after the baby's born…" Bulma said, "This kid's getting bigger by the second and it'll take at least a week to get everything prepared… I want to look my best when the time comes… Sure, it's easy enough to hide this wild little Saiyan with a large enough wedding dress, but I want to wear something nice and stylish, so I don't have to hide too much of my fabulous figure."

Vegeta scoffed.

"You don't have to wear scanty garments to impress me…" He said, not looking too pleased.

"It's not about that 'Geta…" Bulma said, "I just want to look my best… Besides, it's not like I'm planning to reveal that much…" She said, placing emphasis on the word 'that'. "I just want to be comfortable and secure… Plus, I want to enjoy this time and not stress myself with wedding plans and all. Once the kid's born, things will be much easier."

"Whatever…" Said Vegeta, shrugging his shoulders. It's not like he would complain. He did want her to look good after all, plus the later the better. That way he could concentrate on his training for now… Sure, he and Bulma did have an understanding that even though he'd be a father, his primary focus would still have to be on preparing for the androids, but still, there would be no doubt that he'd have to spend at least some of his time looking after his brat, thus it'd be best to make the most of the time he had now.

"Well… That's just wonderful honey… When do we tell everyone?" Mrs. Brief asked.

"We won't say anything yet…" Vegeta answered, in a deadpan voice, "After the child is born…"

"Hmmm…" Dr. Brief pondered, "But the others might not make it on such short notice…"

"Dad… We don't have to do it immediately after he's born…" Bulma said, emphasizing on the word 'immediately', "Let's say two or three months after… That gives us time to make plans and send invitations and everything…"

Dr. Brief agreed and soon, Mrs. Brief chimed on about how wonderful it was that her two darlings would be married and how they were a match made in heaven and all the rest of it, while both Bulma and Vegeta's faces flushed and Vegeta covered his eyes with his fingers, shaking his head in annoyance. She was such an airhead, or so it seemed and her behavior annoyed him to death, so very often.

Bulma then remembered something else…

"Oh, Vegeta, come with me to my lab…" She said, grabbing his hand and walking him along to the lab, "There's something I want to show you."

When they reached the lab, Bulma picked up a capsule and pressed the plunger, before throwing it nearby. A large steel box materialized and Bulma opened it up, pulling out a training bot.

"Training Bots?" Vegeta questioned, raising an eyebrow and wondering what the big deal was.

"Not just any bots…" Bulma said, a Cheshire smile gracing her lips, "These bots are twice as fast as the last ones, three times more durable, last much longer and I designed them to withstand up to 1500Gs."

Vegeta gaped at her incredulously.

"Amazing…" Was all he could say.

Bulma beamed at him…

"It took a while, but since I'm such a genius, I was able to pull it off…" She said, "It wasn't easy, mind you… There're fifteen of them… I know you've been a lot more careful with them recently and all, but try your best not to destroy them…"

Vegeta nodded his head slowly.

"I've also illustrated designs for upgrades that will allow the gravity chamber to withstand up to 1500Gs." Bulma said, "Now that the spaceship's here, it shouldn't take long to add in the new designs… I've have all the supplies available, so… you know."

"Do you need… any… help?" Vegeta asked.

"Help?" Bulma asked, confused… Never in his life had Vegeta ever offered her help, like this. Sure he did and always would protect her against anyone or anything that even remotely threatened her, but this was different.

"I'm taking tomorrow off training…" He answered.

Bulma stood still for a while, before speaking.

"Okay… uh… how come?" She asked.

"You don't think I've earned it?"

"Hmmm… Well of course you have." She said, "After all, becoming the Universe's best must've taken its toll on you… I'm glad you're taking time to rest. You'll become far much stronger this way…"

"Hn… So?"

Bulma smirked at him, remembering what he was asking.

"Well… sure thing, lover-man…"

Vegeta snarled at her and as usual, she giggled in response, before a thought hit her.

"By the way, Vegeta…" She began, "I was wondering why you didn't tell Goku?"

Vegeta's sour mood at Bulma's sappy words had all but dissipated and his scowl was replaced with a smirk.

"Well… He'll have to find out the hard way…" He answered, "When I pummel him in our next battle… I can't wait to see the look on his face… Won't he be surprised? Once I'm done resting, my power will have risen significantly… I wonder how much stronger he'll be though… Surely he must know that he cannot catch up to my base level with his usual training scheme… I'm sure he must be trying to find a newer means of boosting his own power level."

Vegeta took on a more serious tone, mid-sentence.

"Well whatever the case, you're the strongest Vegeta…" Bulma said, smiling at him, "You are the Prince, after all."

"Yes, I am indeed…" He smirked.

Bulma winked at him seductively, causing Vegeta to blush and her to giggle, in response. It sure was great to have him back and ready to spend time with her… She knew that he would protect her and protect the planet… The androids would meet their end by his hand… All her life, she had always had more faith in Goku than anyone else – he was her hero and he gave her and everyone else hope when situations were grimmer than they would have ever thought possible – but now, her faith in Vegeta had superseded that which she had for Goku, which was saying a lot. Goku was still her best friend and still someone she looked up to and relied on, but her trust and bond with Vegeta was even greater.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Battle of the Super Saiyans

Vegeta took three days off training, helping Bulma upgrade the gravity chamber, after she had introduced him to the newer, superior training bots. She was surprised at how quickly he was able to pick up on all the information, understand the function of each component, where they go and how they work. But most of all, it was enjoyable for the both of them – for once, she was able to teach him something rather than the other way around and he was fascinated by her extraordinary intelligence, genius and ingenuity… He'd personally known some of the brightest engineers and mechanics in Frieza's army and yet, all of their input and knowledge together still paled in comparison to hers… It was only fitting – he was the strongest and she was the smartest – it just went to show that they complemented one-another that much more. After the upgrades were completed, Vegeta resumed his training, working hard and taking his it to higher and higher levels, as time went by.

He had advanced Bulma's understanding and usage of Ki even further and she was able to develop her own Ki fighting style, which she called the "Kitana Nitōryū" (A/N: Kitana is my way of referring to a Katana made of Ki and Kitana Nitōryū means "twin Kitana style" and thus it is essentially a sword style incorporating two Kitanas)… Master Zhao Shing had taught her the basics of sword fighting during their training and so she was able to advance her own maneuvers during her free time… This also served as a means of enhancing her ability to control Ki and increase her Ki output.

Once her skills developed further, she showed them off to Vegeta who was deeply impressed and gave her a few pointers, on how to better her stance and attack from different angles, using her momentum. Although he hadn't used swords or any other weapons in battle since he was a child, he did battle and learn from several great swordsmen during his years under Frieza, so he was able to aid her efforts. What she had been able to do was truly something unique… Her power was growing immensely and he knew it.

Three weeks had passed since Vegeta's return to Earth and Bulma was now in the twenty-second week of her pregnancy. This kid was getting larger and larger now and she knew that she would have to slow down her training and within a few months, stop it altogether he was born. It was Saturday morning. Vegeta and his new family had just finished breakfast.

"Well, what're you waiting for 'Geta?" Bulma said, "Let's train…"

"No, take a break…" He responded, "Today, you just watch…"

"Watch… what?" She asked.

"Oh, you'll see…" He said, "Follow me…"

He got up to go leave. Bulma shrugged her shoulders and decided to follow along. They were both wearing their training uniforms as usual, Bulma a blue/silver dragon school uniform and Vegeta, a set of his new Saiyan uniform (A/N: Remember, Buu saga style).

"Where are you two lovebirds going?" Mrs. Brief asked, as radiant as always.

Vegeta grimaced in response to her sappy words.

"I don't know mom…" Bulma responded, "But we'll be back soon… Vegeta wants to show me something…"

"Oh, sounds interesting…" Mrs. Brief said, winking at Bulma, "Be sure to  
>have a good time…"<p>

"Mom, we're not doing anything like that!" Bulma berated… "Can you never think of something else?"

"Oh, but I just think you two are so wonderful and romantic and…" Mrs. Brief continued rambling on, while Bulma and Vegeta left the joint. Vegeta led his fiancé to the same rocky terrain, where he and Kakarot had last battled… Kakarot got the victory back then, but now, he would make sure things were different. His rival was no longer the most powerful.

"So what're we doing here 'Geta?"

"Are you ready?" He asked, smirking.

"Well that depends…" She replied, "For what?"

Move a safe distance from here.

"Uh… okay…" She replied.

Vegeta placed his fists by his side and began slowly powering up, before bellowing… His power rose higher and higher, at astronomical rates, causing tremors in the ground and lightning to thrash about in the sky… Bulma was completely taken aback… It felt as if the entire planet was shaking. He continued powering up until he reached his maximum base level and a blue flame-like aura engulfed him.

Bulma goggled at him.

"V-Vegeta?" She said, "Y-You're power's… completely off the chart…"

Vegeta smirked at her.

"This is only my base level…" He said.

"So why show me this?" She asked. Even she didn't think his power would've risen this high… no way. He constantly surprised her and everyone else.

"Well, try to think of it as a beacon…"

"A beacon… for what?" She asked.

"Kakarot and the others will be here soon…" He answered.

"Oh… You're fighting him again?" She asked.

Vegeta nodded…

Just as he predicted… Twenty minutes later Goku arrived on scene with Gohan and Piccolo, while Chi-Chi was not too far behind… They slowed down in order for her to keep pace, but she was still not able to keep up… It wouldn't be long before she arrived.

"Vegeta… Wow, you're amazing…" Goku said, feeling his rival's power, which sent shivers down his spine… He knew why he must've called.

Vegeta chuckled evilly.

"I guess it's your turn Kakarot…" He said.

Goku smirked at him.

"Sure…"

Goku likewise began powering up… His power rose dramatically and he roared like never before, until that fiery red aura surrounded him. He too got battle ready in an unusual wild fighting style, not exactly like the one Vegeta had developed, but similar nonetheless.

'Unbelievable… He's using a style similar to my own' Vegeta mused.

"Explain yourself Kakarot!" He demanded.

"Well… It took me a while, but after seeing your power the last time, I was able to tap into a form of hidden power myself…" He said, "It's not exactly like yours, but it still helped a lot, as you can see…"

Chi-Chi arrived on scene and saw the two rivals facing each other.

"I see…" Vegeta said, "All the better… But you're still no match for me… Shall we commence?"

"The others will be here soon…" Goku said, "Wanna wait for them?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes.

"As you wish…"

Not surprisingly, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha and Chiaotzu arrived on scene within five minutes, ready to witness yet another battle between the Universe's two most powerful warriors.

"Well… Let's begin!" Vegeta exclaimed.

"Your call…" Goku responded.

Vegeta charged at him, and just as he was about to launch a hard right cross on his rival's face, the latter disappeared and was behind him, ready to attack with an aerial roundhouse kick of his own. Vegeta whirled around and blocked it.

"So you weren't bluffing…" He said, smirking. "You're a lot stronger than you were before…"

"No kidding, Vegeta…" Goku responded, smirking back.

The two separated and took deep breaths before lunging at one another once again, colliding forearms, before launching into the air, exchanging blow for blow, with Vegeta getting the best of his rival for the most part, though Goku was able to surprise him with some of his own attacks. The same trick wouldn't work twice on a fighter of Goku's caliber, so Vegeta didn't bother attacking his pressure points as he did last time…

The others could barely follow the movements of the two battle-hardened Saiyans at all… They were completely nonplussed. The powers they felt were greater than ever before.

"This is my maximum base power…" Vegeta said, "Yet you are still able to keep pace on some level… I must say, I'm truly impressed…"

"Base power?" Goku asked, frowning at him, "You mean-"

"That's right Kakarot…"

Vegeta began powering up higher and higher, his hair flashing gold and his eyes teal, until with one final roar, golden waves of light surrounded the scene and the others felt a monumental power level emanating from the Saiyan Prince… A power level they'd never ever felt before.

"He's a… a Super Saiyan!" Yamcha exclaimed, disbelievingly, eyes widened and jaw dropped.

"Amazing! There's no way Goku can beat him now!" Piccolo observed, "Even if he transforms… No matter how strong he's gotten, there's no way he can match a power like that!"

"I think you're right Piccolo." Said Gohan, furrowing his brows in concentration.

"Yeah Vegeta! You're the best!" Bulma shouted echoing her voice with her hands on either side of her mouth, beaming up at her Prince, "You can do it!"

Chi-Chi scowled.

"Come on Goku!" She shouted, "Show him who's boss!"

Goku was completely taken aback… Vegeta's power was inconceivable, but after collecting his wits, he too transformed into a Super Saiyan and readied his battle stance…

The two Saiyan warriors of legend faced off…

"You never did tell me you could transform Vegeta!" Exclaimed Goku, displeased with his rival.

"I wanted it to be a surprise!" He responded, getting into his own stance.

"Well, how's this for a surprise?!" Goku shouted and suddenly appeared behind him, ready to fire a Ki blast close range.

Vegeta quickly whirled around and grabbed Goku's wrist, causing all the Ki from his hand to dissipate, before aiming a his hand directly at his chest and blasting him spot on… Goku flew backwards and crashed through several mountains, as Vegeta followed along and soon appeared behind him, landing a double-axe handle straight on his face, causing him to plummet towards the ground.

The others followed them and saw the older Super Saiyan besting Earth's hero, though not nearly as easily as he had imagined… Vegeta had done it at last… His hopes to surpass Goku and take his place as the Universe's best had finally been come to pass…

"My God… As powerful as Goku is, Vegeta's still stronger…" Tien said.

Goku lunged at Vegeta full speed, punching him hard in the face, causing him to land on the ground, before he rose up and began firing Ki blasts at the older Saiyan repeatedly with both hands…

The Z warriors began destroying all the residual pieces of rock dashing towards them… Gohan was able to protect Chi-Chi from being hurt.

As a gigantic piece of rock from a mountaintop that had exploded nearby, made its way towards Bulma. Yamcha was about to intercept, but Bulma had something else in mind… She could've destroyed it with a Ki blast, but decided to surprise the others and thus, she improvised. She formed two Kitana blades and headed towards is, swinging her blades to and fro in different maneuvers until it was hacked up into tiny little harmless pieces that fell to the ground… She suddenly eased up and the Kitanas disappeared. The others gaped at her… They'd never seen a move like that ever before… Another piece of rock was heading her way, but Bulma aimed a hand towards it and fired a Ki blast, turning it into dust. She turned towards the gaping audience, smirked at them and winked, while giving them a thumbs-up.

Chi-Chi felt a tinge of envy… She did know how to fly, but that was about it… Bulma was so much better than she was… It was obvious now that she was holding back in their last battle. She had not used Ki… Neither of them had used it, other than in flight. After witnessing her level of skill, she felt that there was no way she could ever catch up… She didn't feel right by nagging Goku into teaching her… She felt that he already had enough on his plate and didn't want him to make him feel bad – he did take time teaching her how to fly after all. Perhaps she could ask Bulma for pointers. That wouldn't be so bad. Bulma would most definitely be willing to show her the more advanced methods of manipulating Ki and besides, they did spar, so it seemed only right that they shared their knowledge amongst one another – after all, Chi-Chi was a fine warrior and had been all her life, so there must have been many things she could offer Bulma in return… Besides, with her level of skill, a few sessions with Bulma may give her all she needed. With that thought in mind, her dampened spirits were once again lifted.

Goku had spent a lot of energy away, firing those blasts at his rival.

Vegeta got up… The wounds he suffered as a result of those attacks were not as critical as one would have expected, though they were visible to both the audience members and Goku…

"Well… Not bad…" He said, "Kakarot…"

"How could Vegeta possibly get up from that?!" Tien exclaied, disbelievingly.

"He's a Prince, that's why…" Bulma said, staring at Vegeta with the utmost admiration, "He'll always get up, no matter what… He's the best!"

"Hey, Bulma…" Chi-Chi began, "I have a favor to ask you, after this little fight's over… Is that okay?"

"Huh?" Bulma looked at Chi-Chi, "Oh… Sure thing Chi-Chi… Whatever you need."

Vegeta suddenly disappeared and was behind Goku… He did a flying kick right on his back, sending him plunging into the ground. He then pointed a hand towards him and fired a powerful Ki blast, causing a humongous explosion that sent rocks and debris flying all over the place… Goku used instant transmission to appear behind his rival just in time to dodge the attack… He grabbed Vegeta in a rear naked choke… It looked as though the battle was over.

"Give up Vegeta…" Goku ordered.

"Oh… You'd like that wouldn't you?" Choked out Vegeta in response.

Vegeta then thrust his tail upwards, smashing the tip underneath Goku's chin. The abrupt maneuver hurt Goku badly and he held his hand on the injured spot painfully.

Vegeta then landed a spinning back kick hard on his rival's solar plexus, knocking the wind right out of him and sending him flying, before he quickly reappeared behind him and slammed his elbow on the nape of his neck, whereby the younger Saiyan's fiery gold hair changed to his trademark spiky black hair and he plummeted to the ground… Somehow, miraculously, he was able to maintain consciousness. He got up slowly, staggering badly on his feet, as Vegeta followed him down.

"Goku's beaten…" Krillin said, "There's no way he can beat Vegeta in that form…"

"You've got that right…" Agreed Tien.

Goku faced him, completely spent and infuriated at being bested by the arrogant Prince.

"I guess it's over Kakarot…" Said Vegeta.

"It's not over till it's over!" Goku hissed back, gritting his teeth.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at him, before reverting back to his normal form.

They stood staring at each other for a while, while the audience looked on.

"Vegeta's back to normal too…" Yamcha stated, "Guess the fight's taken its toll on him as well…"

Piccolo shook his head.

"No, that's not it…" He said, "He can still fight as a Super Saiyan if he wants to… But I guess he won't be satisfied unless he humiliates Goku– he wants him to know that he's superior to him in every way… Guess some things never change."

"God…" Krillin said, frowning, "He's still such a jerk… Goku would never do that to him."

Out of nowhere, a Kitana blade appeared in front of Krillin – the sharp edge slanting towards his throat.

"Say that again, I dare you…" Hissed Bulma, her teeth clenched and eyes narrowed in a dangerous predatory manner, shades of Vegeta flowing through her.

Krillin gulped and felt the heat of the blade. It was much too close for comfort. But it was those menacing eyes of hers that sent shivers down his spine. Everyone else just gawked at Bulma, completely flabbergasted at her making such a bold move.

"Err… B-B-B-Bulma?" Krillin spoke timidly.

Bulma suddenly gasped, as she realized what she was doing and dissipated her Ki blade, her face reverting to a look of horror… She was horrified at her own behavior. Krillin released a deep breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Sorry Krillin…" She said, "I… uh… kind of got carried away…"

"That's… one way to put it…" Said Chi-Chi, suddenly afraid of her friend.

"Bulma…" Yamcha began, "This is not you… What the hell is going on? Something's off… You're behaving like… Vegeta."

Bulma suddenly felt terrible… Was Vegeta rubbing off on her? She loved the way he behaved and threatened others – she found it kind of funny, but she didn't want to be like that… She really needed to focus on meditating more and clearing up her thoughts.

"I'm really sorry Krillin…" She said, looking at him apologetically, tears glistening her eyes, "I promise it won't happen again…"

Krillin went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay Bulma…" He said, "I'm sorry I said that about Vegeta, but… we say things like that about each other all the time… It's always been that way with us… I mean, Chi-Chi wouldn't threaten to kill me if I call Goku an empty headed idiot…"

WHACK!

"How dare you speak that way about my Goku?!" Chi-Chi shouted, after smacking Krillin across the head, tilting him in her direction and holding him by the scruff of his neck, as he cringed and looked at her fearfully.

Bulma laughed and her mood lightened up a little… Chi-Chi's behavior was kind of funny, but Bulma felt that she'd taken it too far. Maybe the stress of pregnancy was getting to her. She didn't know…

"I don't know Krillin…" Bulma said, "But that's not me… I just… I don't know what to say… But I'd never hurt you, I promise…"

Chi-Chi and Krillin both turned in her direction and the former released him from her hold.

"Forget it Bulma…" He said, "It's not me that I'm worried about… I can handle myself… Look, I really think you should cool off a little… All this martial arts stuff is kind of new to you, even though you're really good at it… It's only natural that you act like this… Don't worry about it. We've all been through that phase… I know I used to act a little crazy and over-the-top a little while I trained with Master Roshi. Maybe a little mind-training will help you out…"

Bulma sighed in relief and smiled at him. She felt a lot better after hearing that… Perhaps it wasn't Vegeta's influence. It may have just been some sort of adrenaline rush, just as Krillin said… that coupled with pregnancy stress… Besides, Vegeta wouldn't hurt anyone either, not without a sincere and noble cause – he changed.

"Sure thing Krillin…" She said, winking at him.

Krillin blushed and scratched his head sheepishly.

All this time, Vegeta was giving Goku a chance to collect his wits… He took a good few minutes before he was finally able to stand on his feet properly and get ready to continue the battle.

"I never asked you to change!" Exclaimed Goku, to his rival, knowing full well that he de-transformed on purpose.

"Well I did anyway…" He said, "Wouldn't want to make this boring… Although I must say, it was fun while it lasted… You surprise me Kakarot."

"Don't patronize me!" Goku yelled and lunged at him, with his fist in the air.

Vegeta easily blocked each blow directed towards him, which were like snail pace to him, given Goku's vast injuries.

"Your anger is clouding your judgment Kakarot…" Said Vegeta, "Your strength is already severely depleted… By letting your rage get the best of you, your power gets cut in half…"

Goku suddenly ceased his attacks and looked at Vegeta incredulously… Was this really Vegeta? The same Vegeta, who for so long was hateful, spiteful and vengeful and wanted nothing but to make him suffer and die miserably? The same Vegeta who didn't care about anyone else, let alone helping them? No, it wasn't… He knew better than anyone, other than Bulma, that Vegeta changed for the better… They were no longer enemies… They were friends… Great friends… They were, after all, the last survivors of their race and the two most powerful warriors in the planes of existence.

Goku smiled at his rival.

"You're right Vegeta…" He said, "I've been blinded by fury all this time and haven't been thinking straight… Maybe that's what's been preventing me from catching up to you… I know when I'm beat… You were right Vegeta… It's over… You win… I was no match for you."

It was Vegeta's turn to be taken aback… Kakarot never gave up a fight, ever… no matter what. He then looked solemnly at his rival.

"It's the same mistake I always made…" Vegeta acknowledged, "Focus on your true mission and purpose and you'll get a lot stronger…"

"You've got it…" Goku said, "I look forward to our next battle… Train hard, my friend…"

Vegeta nodded.

"I guess I was wrong…" Said a stunned Piccolo, "Vegeta wasn't trying to humiliate him at all… He was testing him…"

The others turned to Piccolo quizzically and he explained just what Vegeta was doing.

"I see…" Said Tien.

"The two of them are far stronger than they've ever been and we still have nearly two years before the androids arrive…" Stated Piccolo, "There's still no telling how powerful the androids are… We can survive this battle, but only if we continue training harder than ever, got it?"

The others nodded solemnly.

**A/N: As indicated post-battle, Vegeta won't always be superior to Goku - Goku WILL eventually catch up, later in this piece and also in the sequel (which I have yet to write)... They are rivals after all and it's only fitting that they surpass and match each other constantly.**


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Yet another Saiyan:

As the months passed by Vegeta had continuously trained Bulma and she'd worked towards disciplining her behavior better, so her rage wouldn't possess her as it had when Krillin called Vegeta a 'jerk' and earlier, when she was pummeling the crap out of the hooligans that threatened Naomi's life, although in the latter case it was well deserved…

Chi-Chi had picked up some awesome new Ki techniques from Bulma and developed some moves of her own. It wasn't too long before Bulma had to slow down her training and a few months after that, she had to stop it completely, due to the immense weight of the Saiyan child she was carrying in her womb. The other Z fighters continued training… Tien and Launch were getting along greatly and both sides of her understood that his primary focus was on his training and so, naturally, he had little time for her. Yamcha and Naomi's relationship was thriving too and her two brothers had significantly grown and become much stronger than before, having mastered flight and the ability to use Ki in a relatively effective manner, though their strength was very much inferior to the Z fighters as well as Bulma and Chi-Chi. Krillin, as usual, was alone, but he used his frustrations of failing at romance, where everyone else had succeeded, to further enhance his training regimens… He refused to ease up.

Goku and Vegeta continued to up their training and had sparred once again, only this time it ended in a stalemate… Seems his rival had really been working hard to catch up and having taken Vegeta's advice, he was finally able to accomplish this objective.

Gohan too, was becoming far stronger than before and he and Piccolo used some of Goku's older discarded training weights to up their own strength to much higher levels (since Goku used much heavier weights by this point).

Several months had passed since Goku and Vegeta's first battle as Super Saiyans… It was the fourteenth of January. Just two weeks prior, the Z fighters had met up to celebrate the end of the year at Capsule Corporation… Now the situation was very different.

Bulma was in labor and was rushed to West City Hospital a while back… Vegeta reluctantly waited outside the medical room alongside Dr. Brief, Goku, Gohan and Piccolo as Bulma was regularly screaming and cursing her lungs out, accompanied by her mother, Chi-Chi and two nurses. Goku had informed Chi-Chi and Gohan of the situation after hearing it from Vegeta, via telepathy… Since Piccolo could hone in on the mental conversations of the two Saiyans anyway, he immediately knew what was happening. At the time, the Son family had just about finished eating lunch, while their Namekian friend was meditating on top of a hill nearby. The four of them flew off towards Vegeta's Ki signal in West City Hospital. Piccolo decided it was best to come along, since he did want to get a look at Trunks as a baby.

Vegeta did not want to admit it, but he did feel better, with his friends accompanying him… After all, he was the one who gave his rival the heads up, although he largely acted out of instinct, without volition. Goku and the others had to stop him several times from trying to forcefully break his way into the room, in order to be by Bulma's side, whether the doctors liked it or not.

Hours passed by until it was almost midnight.

~~~~

Mrs. Brief was dabbing a wet cloth to her daughter's forehead, seated comfortably on a chair on one side of her, while Chi-Chi, on the other side, held her hand in a tight grip, in an attempt to reassure her – it had to be done this way, since Bulma's power would no doubt quickly shatter every tiny little bone in her mother's fragile hand.

"All right honey…" A nurse said waiting on the other end for the baby to finally make its way into the world, "One more push…"

Bulma screamed with all her might and putting in every ounce of effort possible, the baby finally entered a whole new world with one final push from Bulma. It was wailing a nice, healthy and immensely powerful Saiyan cry… She felt as if she was carrying the entire planet on her shoulders and sighed in utmost relief, as the pressure finally lifted. She closed her eyes and smiled broadly, feeling a great sense of contentment overcome her… She was now a mother.

She eased her grip on Chi-Chi's hand and she too sighed in relief, after suddenly feeling an immense strain there like never before, as Bulma finally pushed the baby out…

~~~~

"He's here…" Vegeta said, eyes widened as he looked at his rival.

"Yeah, I can sense it…" Goku said, smiling, "This is unbelievable…"

"Yes… Truly remarkable…" Concurred Dr. Brief, feeling a vast sense of relief and exhilaration overcome him.

"Gosh, this is so great…" An over-excited Gohan beamed, "I wonder what he'll look like…"

Piccolo smiled inwardly, though on the outside he appeared as impassive as ever.

~~~~

The nurse's eyes widened as she saw the small furry appendage emanating from his lower back, whirling around the place…

"He… has a… tail…"

"It's all right…" Chi-Chi told her reassuringly, "Just clean him up first and then we'll talk about that…"

"We might be able to get it removed…" The nurse said.

The door suddenly slammed open…

"Remove my son's tail and I'll remove your head!" Vegeta hissed at the nurse in a sinisterly low-pitched tone.

"No one's going to remove his tail…" Bulma said, frowning at the nurse, before tilting her head back to Vegeta with the same expression embedded on her face, "Vegeta, you can't be in here yet… Please, wait till he gets cleaned up…"

Vegeta grumbled before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes… Knowing Vegeta as long as she had, she knew he wouldn't make good on such threats.

"It's all right…" Chi-Chi told the nurse, looking in her direction, "Leave the tail… It's a part of him… And don't worry about Vegeta… He won't hurt you…"

The nurse nodded slowly to Chi-Chi, still apprehensive after hearing that wild beast of a man's bold threat. She then proceeded to remove the child's umbilical cord and get it cleaned up thoroughly.

~~~~

Vegeta grimaced when he heard Chi-Chi making that claim.

"Vegeta…" Goku said, looking at him with a displeased expression, "What did I tell you?"

"They were going to cut off his damn tail Kakarot!" Vegeta exclaimed, raising a fist up defensively, "He's a Saiyan… and a Saiyan with royal blood, at that! His tail is an innate part of him and it always will be!"

"But Vegeta… I don't have a tail." Goku said…

"That's because you were foolish enough to have it removed…" He said, "That's your loss… But so help me, neither myself nor any child of mine will be tailless."

Goku rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine…" He said, "You heard Bulma and Chi-Chi… No one's going to remove his tail."

~~~~

After the baby was cleaned up, Mrs. Brief left the cool wet cloth on Bulma's head and made her way to the nurse to hold the child, while Chi-Chi was stuck on her spot, not wanting to remove her hand from as her friend's loose and gentle grip, until she was well and ready to do so herself… Bulma took a few deep breaths in order to regain her composure… The nurse handed Mrs. Brief the infant child, who was wrapped up in a thick soft baby blue towel, revealing only his face, hair and torso.

"Wow… He's just adorable." She said, "He's the most beautiful precious little thing I've ever seen… Aren't you? Aren't you?"

"Wanna see your mommy, little Trunks?" Mrs. Brief asked.

The still-unnamed child laughed merrily in Mrs. Brief's grasp, as if in response to the name it was given.

"Trunks? You named him Trunks?" Asked Chi-Chi, while covering Bulma up with a hospital sheet.

~~~~

Goku smiled knowingly, as did Vegeta and Piccolo, after hearing that bit of information inside.

"Well, it's a family name after all, so might as well go with it…" Dr. Brief said, "What do you say, Vegeta?"

"Whatever…" Vegeta responded, shrugging his shoulders, in feigned disinterest. The five of them went inside, to see the boy…

~~~~

"But mom… I hadn't even decided yet." Bulma groused. "Besides, what will Vegeta say?"

"I already told you woman, I could care less…" He responded, as he opened the door and made his way towards her.

"Vegeta…" Bulma smiled warmly at her fiancé.

Mrs. Brief walked over to Bulma and handed the babe over to her.

Bulma released her grip on Chi-Chi's hand, sat up and held the newborn, smiling warmly at it, as it clung onto her for dear life.

"Hey there little guy…" She murmured softly, "So you like the name Trunks, huh?"

Trunks laughed joyously in response to the name and Bulma's smile broadened.

"Well, I guess we have a name for you… Trunks."

Trunks once again laughed as it held onto its mother. Bulma was cooing at it and comforting it, as it began wailing in her arms.

"Wow, he's so cute…" Chi-Chi said, rubbing the child's cheek with her index finger, "He reminds me so much of Gohan when he was just born… What with that hair sticking out of his forehead and all…"

"Purple hair… And he looks just like Vegeta…" Bulma said. "I bet you'll grow up to be a handsome young man, just like Vegeta…"

Vegeta blushed and Goku laughed sheepishly, as he smacked his friend between the shoulder blades.

"Urrggghhhh… Do not do that again Kakarot, unless you have a death wish…" Vegeta threatened.

"Okay, okay… Relax Vegeta…" Goku said, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Wanna say hi to your daddy little Trunks?" Bulma asked the boy in her best baby-voice.

Trunks had a scowl etched on his face, just like Vegeta…

"Wow, what a temper… Just like his father…" Bulma said, before tilting her head in Vegeta's direction, "Come on Vegeta… Meet your son…"

"Maybe later…" Vegeta said embarrassedly.

"Come on darling, I bet little Trunks is just dying to meet his handsome father…" Mrs. Brief said, tugging his arm and forcing him to move towards the hospital bed… Vegeta sighed in surrender.

He kneeled down on the bed with his arms folded across the mattress, scowling at his infant son… He wasn't too happy about being forced to meet the child. By now Chi-Chi had moved over to the sidelines.

Bulma held Trunks up in Vegeta's direction, so that he and the newborn were face to face… Trunks was laughing cheerfully, as he began tugging his father's hair, balling them in between in tiny fists…

"Impudent little brat…" Vegeta chided the newborn, "You'll soon learn some respect…"

"Vegeta!" Berated Bulma and she turned Trunks back in her direction. Trunks began wailing… Seems he was having a good time playing with daddy's hair.

"All right fine…" Bulma surrendered, as she turned Trunks back in Vegeta's direction… Trunks' sour mood lifted as he continued playing with Vegeta's hair.

Vegeta poked his index finger finger gently at the boy's tiny stomach and a small furry appendage wrapped around his finger.

"Wow… Isn't that adorable?" Beamed Mrs. Brief…

"Yes, it is indeed honey…" Concurred Dr. Brief.

Both of their eyes glimmered with still unshed tears, after witnessing the act, as did Chi-Chi's, who was smiling as she looked on.

"Trunks really likes you, Vegeta…" Bulma said, smiling smugly at him.

"Well that'll all change, when he begins his training…" Vegeta said, smirking, "Won't it brat?"

Trunks merely laughed merrily at his father's declaration…

"Gosh, Vegeta…" Bulma groused, "That's all you ever think about… Well it's not going to happen any time soon, got it?"

Goku laughed sheepishly, as did Gohan. Piccolo looked at the boy from afar, observing his behavior closely. The child had took on an usual liking and admiration for Vegeta…

Gohan took a few steps closer, looking at Trunks.

"Wow… This is so amazing…" He said.

"You wanna hold him Gohan?" Bulma asked, smiling at the young boy.

"Well… Sure thing…" Gohan said, "If that's okay with you, Vegeta…"

Vegeta grunted in approval and lifted the boy up like a football… Gohan headed in his direction, knowing that the arrogant Prince never moved for anyone.

Vegeta was finding it difficult to hand Trunks to Gohan, since the newborn continued tugging at his hair and had his tail firmly wrapped around his father's finger.

Gohan instead opted to pat Trunks' head gently. Trunks turned in his direction with a scowl on his face that made him look like a miniature Vegeta, minus the hair and eye color.

"Woah… Easy there little guy, I'm not going to hurt you…" Said Gohan, smiling at the boy…

Trunks' eyes narrowed at Gohan… Gohan grabbed Trunks underneath his arms… Trunks protested at first, but finally relented and the older Demi-Saiyan boy cradled the child in his arms… Trunks began sucking his lips and tears welled up in his eyes…

"He looks like he's about to cry…" Gohan said.

Bulma looked in Trunks' direction.

"Let me take a look at him Gohan." Bulma said.

"Here you go, Bulma…" Gohan handed the child to Bulma, who cradled him in a motherly manner.

Soon she figured out what was wrong…

"Oh… I think Trunks is hungry…" She said and then spoke in a baby voice, "Aren't you little Prince? Aren't you?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes…

"Fair warning…" He said smirking, "Saiyan infants require a lot of nourishment… Very well, everyone leave now… She needs to feed the brat…"

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling him that?!" Bulma reprimanded and Trunks began crying… Bulma cooed at him and began calming him down.

Vegeta chuckled and gestured for everyone to leave the room… When they were all gone, he too followed suite.

"Gosh, I'm so tired…" Said Goku.

"You're free to leave if you want…" Vegeta responded solemnly. He was glad the younger Saiyan had been there to witness the birth of his son and provide his support.

"We'll be back early tomorrow Vegeta…" Goku said, "I'm guessing you're going to be sleeping in here, am I right?"

"Guess so…" Replied Vegeta, nonchalantly.

"All right… See you around my friend…" Goku said.

"So long…" Responded Vegeta stoically.

The hospital had been largely abandoned by this time, since it was post-midnight and so Goku was able to use instant transmission to teleport himself, his family and Piccolo back to Mount Paozu.

After weaning for a good two hours or so, Trunks finally began falling asleep and Bulma projected her thoughts to Vegeta, telling him that she was done… The Briefs went inside and Vegeta picked up Trunks, putting him gently in a bassinet nearby. He helped Bulma get cleaned up in the bathroom nearby, before ordering a new wider hospital, so the two of them could get some shut eye together in the room. Of course, they were much too tired to have any fun that particular night, especially Bulma who was flabbergasted by her newborn's limitless appetite, never having expected it to have been quite so humongous.

The elder Briefs were lovingly appraising baby Trunks' sleeping form all the while, before making their way to a guest room where they could finally get some sleep themselves.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Married:

One week after Trunks' birth, the Briefs family decided to sent invitations to all their friends for the royal wedding, which they decided to hold in the backyard of Capsule Corporation's residential complex… It was to be held in exactly four months, on the ninth of April.

While Dr. Brief did consider inviting some major stakeholders of Capsule Corporation, Bulma opted against it, deciding that she had only wanted the people she really knew and cared about to witness that day… As far as she was concerned, this wasn't some public display to be broadcast on television – it was her wedding day, for her to enjoy.

Vegeta had still spent the majority of his time training and Bulma had a lot of time off, since she got a couple months parental leave to look after Trunks… She and Vegeta did have great times indulging themselves in sexual activity, since her breasts were a lot more swollen and perked up in the days following Trunks' birth, more so than ever before… Vegeta never failed to mention that to her and eventually it got so repetitive that she just rolled her eyes every time he said it… Truthfully, her spirits had greatly uplifted… In the last one or two months of her pregnancy, Vegeta hadn't gotten to release his sexual frustration and had to wait until after the boy's birth, before engaging in sexual intimacy with his Princess, now fiancé, once again.

Bulma continued to put her training on hold for a few weeks since the birth of her child, but afterwards, she began again, though at a slower pace than before… Within two months she was able to reach the peak of her former power level and exceed it. Her bond with Vegeta had passed onto their child and allowed her to know whenever he needed to be tended to, for any given reason, and so, she would, at times, have to cut off her training mid-way and minister her infant child… Training in the backyard made this relatively easy.

Chi-Chi had grown stronger than Bulma for several months, as a result of the pregnancy and birth of Trunks, but Bulma was intent on reversing that once again. They had sparred a few times here and there, only this time Chi-Chi would emerge the victor each and every time, unlike before where Bulma usually took the victory, due to her greater grasp of Ki (Bulma had agreed to help her friend in this particular field, after getting the go-ahead from Vegeta)…

It was now three months since Trunks' birth… For the wedding, Bulma had purchased a mini white tassel applique lace wedding dress that went down a few inches above her knees on the front and several inches below her heels on the back, so that it wormed its way across the floor as she walked (A/N: Found a nice looking wedding dress on the internet so I just went with that). The dress accentuated her curves perfectly, making her look that much more stunning. She decided to purchase a new pair of silver snake rose open toe platform sandal heels with it, the same as the ones she had worn the day she and her lover had bonded… It seemed only fitting. She had polished her fingernails and toenails, a nice silvery color and used eyeliner to do her lashes a nice black.

Another month passed and it was the day of the wedding… She had her hair done beautifully in a half up half down fishtail braid and adorned a bride's diamond headdress, decorated with emerald gemstones. She also wore two Harry Winston emerald earrings, encrusted with white gold.

About two before that fateful day, Bulma had begun hassling Vegeta about what he would wear during his wedding… Initially, he could care less and said that one of the dragon school uniforms would suffice as his wedding attire… However, after some thought, he decided to wear a royal Saiyan outfit: a blue bodysuit, gloves, boots and armor with the royal crest of Planet Vegeta embedded on his left chest, where his heart was located. To top it all was a crimson cape and a silver crown for the Prince… He would not wear gold, since he was not the King… Despite all the suffering he had to go through, due to his father's horrible decisions, he chose to respect him as the final King of the Saiyans, since he had died honorably, fighting Frieza and had met his end along with the rest of their race. He told Bulma and though she felt slightly hesitant at first, since she wanted him to dress like a groom, picturing him looking so regal and perfect, didn't seem the least bit unpleasant to her… Within the time he lived in Capsule Corporation, she had been able to recreate superior version of the uniform and armor he had worn when he returned to Earth from Namek. As for the cape and crown, that wasn't a problem at all… Vegeta had sent her a mental image of what the crown that he had once adorned looked like and its sheer beauty astounded her completely. She had drawn it up exactly like the image and paid a metalworker to construct it out of pure silver and encrust it with sapphire gemstones, all of which she provided.

During the day of holy matrimony, the Royal Saiyan couple had not seen one another at the insistence of Mrs. Brief, since, of course, doing so would be considered bad luck, though no one else in the family believed that old myth… But Bulma's mother, though usually seeming dimwitted, carefree and easily relenting, was persistent in this particular matter.

The only ones who'd seen Trunks, aside from Vegeta and the Brief family, had been Piccolo and the Son family.

All the Z fighters and those close to them (Chi-Chi, Ox King, Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Turtle, Launch and Naomi and her family) were all attending the wedding… Vegeta had even told Bulma to send an invitation to Master Zhao Shing and he was only too happy to be present. Even Mr. Popo, Korin, Kami and a hesitant and apprehensive Yajirobe were all present. At Goku's request, even Bora and a grown up, handsome, young Upa, were present, dressed in their traditional tribal attire… Luckily, Bulma had managed to tell Vegeta beforehand so he wouldn't instinctively blast to ribbons the warrior responsible for cutting off his tail, even though it had long since grown back and was stronger than ever before. Though Launch was in her crazy killer form initially, Tien had managed to tickle her nose with a leaf just in time before they had left, to have her nice loving blue haired half present to witness the event. Though he'd grown to take a liking to both, it seemed best not to risk any major upstarts during this fine day… Everyone was well dressed. Baby Trunks was sleeping in Chi-Chi's arms… The Ox Princess had agreed to look after him, at the insistence of Mrs. Brief… The small demi-Saiyan cub had his tail wrapped around Chi-Chi's wrist as he dozed off – luckily, there was very little that could awake a Saiyan child. Chi-Chi smiled, feeling the tiny furry appendage wound around her – it was just what baby Gohan used to do and with that thought, her smile broadened as she looked on lovingly at little Trunks.

Goku was beaming – he couldn't wait for the ceremony to commence… His rival and best friend were getting married. Never in his life had he imagined this – he knew that Vegeta always hated being the center of attention, unless of course he was flaunting his radical powers. Bulma too, finally had the man she had always wanted… the one she'd always dreamt and longed for all her life – after fifteen years of an intermittent and largely failed relationship with Yamcha, she had finally found the right one for her. However, despite his merriment, Goku was even more excited at the prospect of the wedding feast afterwards – he knew the very best dishes would be prepared… When Mrs. Brief and Chi-Chi worked hand in hand, along with the best chefs in West City, as they had during his own wedding, the meals prepared defined the word flawless.

Gohan too was thrilled… He'd grown to admire Vegeta so much, over this past year or so… Other than his father and Piccolo, he idolized the Saiyan Prince, more than anyone else. It was he who brought out within him, a greater desire to fight and draw out power from the large well of energy latent within him, like never before. Piccolo was the first to shape his outlook on martial arts and he and his father had continued boosting his aspiration to be a great fighter, but Vegeta's words last year, after he and his father's second spar, had taken it all to the next level… His surge in power of the course of this last year had largely been driven by the need to prove himself to Vegeta, as well as Piccolo and his father.

Yamcha still felt a hint of jealousy running through him, but was able to suppress it… Besides, he had a woman of his own. Bulma was no longer a part of his life – she was his friend, but nothing more and he accepted that, for the most part, although a small part of him still longed for his first love. He did well to conceal his feelings from everyone else – besides, one way or another, he knew that Bulma would have eventually broken it off for good. Their sporadic relationship had long since been over, for good… His bitterness towards Vegeta had been a thing of the past, well, perhaps not completely – after all, the Saiyan Prince did kill him once, but to a vast extent, he no longer harbored any ill will towards him and on some level, did consider him a friend. With that thought, a warm smile lit his face. The other Z fighters shared in this sentiment and they too, smiled.

After a while, Vegeta began making his way towards the stand, escorted by Mrs. Brief, who was tugging his arm… He looked far more Princely than he ever had before. Mr. Popo's mysterious smile never left the face of the ancient Genie and Kami, too, felt happy for the man who was once the greatest threat to the planet he had been the guardian off, for centuries. Earth had gained a new ally and he knew it…

As he made his way to the stand, Mrs. Brief released her hold, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief. She stood nearby… All along, the crowd was completely in awe of how phenomenal he looked in that royal Saiyan attire of his and that sapphire encrusted silver crown… The way he stood with such regal poise only added to his exquisite appearance. Everyone stared at him with jaws dropped… Never had they seen someone looking so vividly handsome all their lives.

After a few minutes, Bulma was walking towards the stand, with her father tugging her arm… Everyone gasped and held their breaths as they gaped at her, including Vegeta, who only moments later managed to regain his composure, thus preventing the crowd from noticing his momentary lapse. Inwardly, however, he felt butterflies fill his stomach… She looked breathtakingly stunning and absolutely gorgeous. At this moment, she completely epitomized the word beautiful in every way… The clear white that she wore was reminiscent of the clarity and contentment she had felt throughout her entire being at her choice of partner… Her elegant emerald-decorated diamond headdress and white gold encrusted emerald earrings, truly made her look like the Princess she was… He couldn't have ever imagined a better looking Saiyan Princess ever before, his own mother included, whom he had always thought to have been the most beautiful woman ever… till Bulma warmed her way into his life.

As she spared a glance at Vegeta, Bulma too gasped and her eyes widened seeing how perfect her Prince looked… This was the moment of her dreams and she gulped as butterflies filled her stomach… Neither had seen each other dressed in their wedding outfits, since they wanted it to be a surprise… They each knew what the other would wear, but to actually see it was far more entrancing than they had ever imagined. Bulma took a deep breath and continued walking towards the stand. When there, Dr. Brief let go of her and the pair faced one another, each one equally breath taken by the other's appearance, though they managed to gather up their wits after a while and stand firmly, as the royal couple they were.

"Vegeta, do you take Bulma Brief for your lawfully wedded wife? Do you swear to love, honor, comfort, and cherish her from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only to her for as long as you both shall live?" The marriage officiant asked, looking at Vegeta. (A/N: Largely copy and pasted… So what?).

"I do…" Replied Vegeta immediately, a stoic expression on his face…

Bulma smiled warmly at him and he smiled back soon after… The audience members' eyes widened as they saw the smile of contentment hit Vegeta's face. Only Bulma and Goku had seen it before. It made his already immaculate appearance that much more pleasing to the eye… To see him smile… It was just a magnificent sight to behold - he looked handsome in every way imaginable.

The officiant turned his attention to Bulma.

"Bulma Brief, do you take Vegeta for your lawful wedded husband? Do you swear to love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only to him for as long as you both shall live?" He asked.

"I do…" She responded without a moment of hesitation, her smile never leaving her.

"I now declare you husband and wife… You may kiss each other."

Bulma grabbed either side of Vegeta's face as she slowly moved her face towards his, capturing his lips in the most passionate kiss ever, as her headdress touched his crown and their noses were adjacent. Vegeta grabbed her around the waist with both hands, pulling her flush against his body, pressing them firmly against one another.

Bulma wrapped her arms around neck as she pulled back after a long moment, staring into the infinite depth of his obsidian eyes, as he too was ensorcelled by the endless azure glimmering perfection of hers. Both smiled deeply at one another and were oblivious to the wild roars and cheers of the audience members, that followed soon after… Mrs. Brief cried tears of joy and Dr. Brief too dabbed his eyes with a cloth as several tears of his own tears spilled forth – it was a rare occurrence for the good doctor. The scene looked almost as if it was taken from a film… The way they kissed, looked at one another and held each other in such a tight embrace defined the word 'love'.

Never had they witnessed a union quite like this… Never had a couple looked more stunning and been more perfect and complemented one another as they had – the Prince and the Princess, who had shown one another what it truly meant to love, had filled all the void in each other and had provided each other with an unparalleled sense of warmth, comfort and security.

After the wedding feast, the group of friends stayed at Capsule Corporation indulging themselves in the best day of they had had in a long time… It was a day well spent. Other than Vegeta and his new family it was Goku, more than anyone who had treasured this great moment – the day when his oldest and newest friends had joined together to form a union that was unbreakable.

Epilogue:

Post-marriage, Bulma and Vegeta spent a week out in the snow, for their honeymoon, leaving little Trunks in the care of the elder Briefs… Although the infant demi-Saiyan wasn't too keen on drinking from a bottle, rather than his mother and would give his grandparents a hard time in the beginning, he was eventually able to settle down.

About two months after Bulma and Vegeta's union, Chi-Chi conceived another child, who was born the very next year after Trunks, on the twelfth of March… Now the youngest Saiyan child, little Goten, a carbon copy of Goku, was promised by his father, a world that would revel in peace and freedom, even if he had to sacrifice his own life in the process.

Bulma had finally managed to surpass Chi-Chi a few months earlier, taking advantage of her friend's pregnant state… Chi-Chi was pre-occupied with raising her youngest infant and Goku and Vegeta weren't too far apart in power, though Vegeta had once again become stronger of the two… Both had trained and overworked themselves extensively hard, sparring on a more frequent basis over the past few months (A/N: Early affects of the heart virus are what allow Vegeta to become the stronger Saiyan).

A/N: I WILL WRITE A SEQUEL TO THIS COVERING WHAT TAKES PLACE IN THE ANDROIDS/CELL SAGA, BUT ONLY AFTER I FINISH WORKING ON ANOTHER B/V FAN-FIC THAT I'M ABOUT TO BEGIN WRITING, CALLED "THE LIGHT TO MY DARKNESS": AN A/U, WHERE VEGETA DEFEATS THE Z FIGHTERS WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVES ON EARTH AND BULMA OFFERS HERSELF AS A HOSTAGE TO THE PRINCE IN RETURN FOR HIM SPARING HER FRIENDS AND THE PLANET – HOW WILL VEGETA RESPOND? YOU FIND OUT!

PLEASE REVIEW/FOLLOW/FAVOURITE - IF YOU ENJOYED THIS, YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THE SEQUEL.


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